Don't Let Me Fall:
by MewMidnight
Summary: [Crack-ish Fic] Ichigo and Retasu never imagined they'd be having feelings for these certain guys, it's really an unusual situation. Years after the final battle, the aliens and humans co-exist and it has brought up old interests and new love. Love triangle & Several pairings: Ichigo x Pai, Ichigo x Ryou, Retasu x Kish, etc. Inspired by my "Alternate Pairings" fic.
1. New Beginning

**MewMid**: I've been writing stories for TMM since the day it aired in the US and I began reading the mangas. I love this series and I think I always will no matter how old I get. Despite how aged the series is, it will always be nostalgic and fun to write for me. I felt recently inspired again with the re-boot for TMM and I hope you all enjoy one of the many takes I have of what happens when the series ends. They are ALL ADULTS now for this fic, so think early 20s.

Please be warned, this does not follow the traditional pairings that the general fandom enjoys (ie: Kish x Ichigo, Retasu x Pai, etc...). This will NOT be those pairings. If you look at my profile, I like crack pairings and I like the challenge of making them work. If you want traditional pairings, this story probably isn't for you. lol. If you keep reading, thank you and please let me know what you think. I love good/bad criticism**. **

...

_January._

Ichigo sighed as she carried a tray of coffee out to a table full of giggling teenage girls. She barely paid them mind as she served them with a forced pleasant expression on her face. Things had changed so much in the last few years, and now it was 2020. The former team leader spaced out as she turned to walk back towards the kitchen.

The final battle had yielded to an almost unbelievable peace between the aliens and the Earth. The aliens had a new ruler who was Deep Blue's daughter, and she was a loving and peaceful leader who made peace with the Earth and it's people. The mew aqua was able to restore their planet, but Kish, Pai, and Tart, had all gone in different directions.

Tart was now living with Purin just outside the city in a more rural area, the two were inseperable. Minto was traveling in a ballet troupe for her collegiate dance school. Zakuro stuck to her modeling career locally; leaving only Retasu and Ichigo working at the cafe full time. Pai had gotten an apartment in the heart of Tokyo and was working with the military to help with computer security and war protocols. Pai and Ryou had actually worked together on several projects, as the government was very interested in their research and knowledge. Kish only popped in now and again to visit, but he didn't live full time on the Earth surprisingly.

Ichigo found herself chuckle at the thought of Kish, it felt like a lifetime ago that he was crushing on her. After the defeat of Deep Blue, he had pulled back and moved on from what she understood. She was genuinely happy for him, he was far too possessive for her to feel comfortable dating him. Last she heard, he was dating some alien girl back home.

When Masaya left for the United Kingdom to attend school, she had felt lost. It was too difficult to maintain their relationship with such distance. They loved each other dearly, but the distance was so hard and Ichigo couldn't afford to go to school abroad like he did. Facetiming and chatting were just not enough. The spark had somewhat faded after about a year of long distance and it was so strenuous on their emotions. Their relationshp had become so strained and a compromise had to be made. Masaya and Ichigo separated temporarily, and agreed they would get back together officially when he moved back after school. They still regularly spoke and tried to keep in touch as much as possible.

Although the separation had been difficult, Ichigo had really been able to stop and take a hard look at herself. Being a Mew was all she had known through her high school years, it felt strange to suddenly try to just 'fit in' as a normal youth. She didn't realize quite how much the experience had changed her as a young woman. She felt empowered, but also somewhat lost.

A glass broke from the kitchen ahead of her and caused Ichigo to jerk back into reality. Keiichiro let out a muttered curse under his breath as he stepped around the glass he dropped. Ichigo darted into the kitchen doors and gave him the broom from the entryway closet. Out in the cafe she again heard a distracting noise, but this one was the cheery coo of excitement from her friend Retasu. The green haired girl practically out a greeting to two familiar faces who stood at the hostess stand.

Kish had a giant grin as he greeted Retasu and beside him, Pai, barely nodded, but his expression almost hinted at a smile. Retasu greeted them and brought them over to a table, it had been almost two months since the two oldest aliens had come to visit the cafe.

Ichigo made her way out into the cafe and greeted them as well. Kish smiled and hugged Ichigo after he hugged Retasu.

"Good to see you two! Been a minute, you two still look good!"

Kish stated as he eyed the two girls with a flirtatious wink. Ichigo brushed off his comment and Retasu blushed and began mumbling about getting them seated. Ichigo felt a chill shoot up her spine as she glanced up to meet Pai's narrow eyes. She couldn't put her finger on why his eyes gave her the sudden shiver. The tall alien nodded down and calmly spoke to her,

"Good afternoon Ichigo."

His tone was low and cool as it always was, she smiled back up at him as she stifled the chill.

"Hey Pai, we almost never see you anymore."

The alien only gave a nod as Retasu began to walk them to their table, his eyes quickly shifted away and Ichigo was left staring at the back of his head as he walked away. This time felt different for some reason. He looked different than she remembered, his narrow eyes made her stomach flutter seeing him up close.

"Nope!"

Ichigo muttered to herself, forcing herself to think of something different. She couldn't be sitting here in the middle of the cafe dwelling on the older alien's eyes. How stupid! Just as she moved to walk back to the kitchen she turned and collided with a human being.

"Jeez Watch what the-"

It was Ryou, his words trailed quickly as Ichigo took a step back away from him. She appeared visibly flustered. She rolled her eyes feeling more in a huff,

"Sorry, I wasn't looking."

"It's all right. Why are your cheeks red?"

Ichigo then realized she had been blushing after looking into Pai's eyes and now bumping into Ryou, she felt like her cheeks were going to spontaneously combust. She forced a giggle and made her way around the manager,

"Oh it's friggin hot in here Ryou! If you turned down the air conditioning I wouldn't feel like this!"

She made her way around him and over to the hall that led to the staircase and kitchen window. The red head felt her heart pounding in her chest from the embarrassment. This was the first time she had felt her heart flutter in a long while. Ichigo snapped back into work-mode as Keiichiro dinged the bell for the kitchen window and spoke,

"Can you please take this to table 20?"

Ichigo complied and took the tray of cobbler and tarts across the cafe. It had to be a table beside the visiting aliens of course. Just as she felt she was calm, she walked right by Kish and Pai's table. The two aliens were deep in conversation about something as she passed by, the two didn't seem to notice her. The mew walked to the next table and handed the deserts to the guests seated at the round table nearby with pleasantries exchanged.

She couldn't help herself. She glanced over her right shoulder at the table the aliens were. The back of a messy head of green hair and Pai's chiseled pale face was what she was met with. Ichigo felt strange admiring Pai's features as he spoke to Kish, but her stomach lurched quickly as steely grey eyes seemed to pass Kish's face and met her big brown eyes. Pai stared right back at her and Ichigo felt like she could faint now that she had been caught oogling him this time.

The waitress turned on her heel and retreated back to the kitchen area, feeling her face blush red all over again. She took a deep breath and shook her head as she stood in the hallway. It was just Pai, the same alien, there was nothing different about him. Why did she stare like that?

After a few moments of gathering her thoughts, Ichigo glanced back out at the cafe. It wasn't too busy and they actually had three new hires working there, who weren't mews of course. Ryou and Keiichiro had hired them to fill in the gaps now that Purin, Minto, and Zakuro weren't working there anymore. Ichigo scanned the few tables she had, they appeared fine. Retasu caught her eye as she approached the alien's table again.

The spectacled girl lingered at the table. Talking. This piqued Ichigo's curiosity, was Kish flirting with Retasu? The feline girl stared hard at the interaction, at least Retasu fully blocked Pai from where she was standing and all she could see was Kish looking up at her green haired friend. The younger alien grinned and had his hand propping up his chin as he smirked up at her while he spoke. Whatever he said made Retasu blush and grab the hem of her skirt, she shook her head and was giggling profusely.

Ichigo just lurked back in the hall, peering around the corner at the scene before her. A familiar presence appeared beside Ichigo and nearly startled her as he spoke.

"You're awful distracted today Ichigo, what's so interesting?"

Ryou.

The girl whipped her head to the right as the blond man stood in the open archway looking in the same direction as the redhead. Ichigo shushed him waving her hand,

"I'm just wondering if Kish is flirting with Retasu, thats all!"

"Why? Are you... jealous?"

An offended huff escaped her throat as she now focused her attention on her boss,

"Of course not! Why would you say that!"

Ryou shrugged and rocked back on his heels as he eyed Retasu and Kish talking across the cafe.

"I figured you'd be upset your lover-boy-alien was now onto someone new is all. Guess you're just being nosy then..."

"I don't give a shit about him! Are you nuts? He's way too possessive for me, thanks. But I don't want him to lead Retasu on- she's too sweet for him."

Ichigo snapped back at him as she turned back to look at her aquatic mew friend. Ryou chuckled,

"Admirable of you I guess to care so much, but she still seems interested."

...

A text buzzing her phone woke her up. It was her day off, it better be important. The lazy red headed girl rolled over and a clumsy hand found her buzzing cell phone.

-I hope I didn't wake you up! But could we do brunch? The little taco place near the cafe maybe at 11? I need to run something by you. Hope I didn't wake you!-

The text was from Retasu. Ichigo grumbled and responded acknowledging she would meet her friend as she battled the red locks of hair hanging around her face. It had to be something to do with yesterday at the cafe.

...

A certain green haired alien stretched as he woke up on a large white sofa in the middle of a very modernly designed living room. A groan escaped his throat as he rolled onto his back and opened his eyes to the high ceilings of his cousin's apartment. The smell of coffee wafted in the air, catching his attention immediately.

"You made coffee already? The fuckin' sun just came up dude..."

Kish muttered at the older alien who stood in the kitchen reading off of a tablet. Bright glowing sunlight painted the entire main room of the modern designed apartment. Pai was leaned against the silvery countertop with coffee in one hand and a tablet type device in the other. Narrow eyes looked over the device to the intruder who had spent the night on his couch. His tone was like ice,

"It's almost noon."

"All right, All right, I got... jet lag... or whatever they call it."

Kish rebutted as he sat up and straightened his hair with his hand. He was only wearing his boxers and the older alien shifted somewhat across the large kitchen-living room space,

"You wasted half a day sleeping while I have work to do. Can you entertain yourself or are you going back home?"

Kish grinned and stood up, eyeing the violet haired alien,

"I don't think I'll leave quite yet... I am too curious."

"About?"

Pai's response gave Kish an open door in conversation, and the younger alien felt a smirk creep onto his face as he walked into the kitchen to grab some coffee.

"That mermaid girl is really something... I can't put my finger on it. But she's cute."

The older alien brushed off his comment and continued reading whatever article was on his tablet. Kish poured himself a cup of coffee and continued,

"I'm not kidding... I never took the time to look at her in that way, but she's really kind and there is something about her. It's like, completely different than anyone else..."

"Even your ex?"

Pai's abrupt comment earned him a half assed glare from Kish. He was referring to his teenage sweetheart who was now married off to an older guy back home. The amber eyed alien turned and stared down at his coffee mug,

"That mermaid mew has something special in her, I know it in my gut...I know sound crazy."

The colder alien shook his head and looked out the huge glass windows to the city skyline,

"Crazy is nothing new for you. You've done this before, with Ichigo."

Kish snapped back quicker this time,

"I'm different now! I didn't know what was good for me. Ichigo is a good girl, but wasn't meant for me... and I'm not the same person I was a few years ago."

Pai was quiet for a few moments and lazily looked over at his counterpart,

"For your own sake, I hope you mean that Kish."

...

Retasu hugged the lead mew when she saw her, the two were at a table on a patio overlooking a park with various people enjoying the brisk sunday morning. With an adjustment of her glasses, Retasu ordered herself a small plate after her friend had ordered. The cat girl eyed her friend as she began to gush her feelings quicker than usual,

"I-Ichigo, I hope you aren't mad at me or anything... I wasn't trying to flirt with Kish or anything and now I really feel in a predicament! Gosh I'm so nervous..."

The red head smiled at her genuine friend,

"What are you talking about?"

Retasu seemed perturbed and wrung her hands together in her lap, her eyes fell to the table. She seemed embarrassed as she continued.

"I feel like Kish was really flirting with me yesterday, and I didn't know what to do... And then he kept texting me last night, I just... don't know what to do! I didn't want you to be mad at me!"

The news didn't exactly shock Ichigo, but she was somewhat surprised. Last she heard, Kish had been dating an alien girl back home and that's why no one had seen him. Ichigo shrugged and smiled,

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"I thought you and Kish had... something?"

Ichigo paused, remembering how Kish professed his feelings for her so many years ago. Another shrug found Ichigo's shoulders and she leaned forward,

"That was years ago he had a crush on me, and that's all it was! We were stupid teenagers Retasu, there was nothing between he and I. What did he say that got you all flustered like this?"

Retasu blushed hard and took a sip of her water, she seemed very nervous. The quiet girl took a deep breath which created a pause in the conversation,

"I just..."

"Got swept up in a moment?"

Ichigo finished her sentence, causing Retasu to look back up at her in surprise. The green haired mew nodded sheepishly,

"Yes! He was so sweet to me... I really feel surprised and don't know what to do... He asked me to hang out with him sometime. I think he wants to visit the cafe again tomorrow, and he's been texting me! I didn't want it to be weird between you and I though, because your friendship is so important to me! And if you had any feelings for him past or present, I would never entertain anything he said to me."

The feline mew felt warmed that her friend regarded her opinion so highly,

"I don't care at all what Kish does! He and I never were anything, if he's flirting with you and you enjoy it, then go for it! It is totally cool, I just hope you do what makes you happy is all."

...

Kish had come back like he said he was going to. How odd. Ichigo was in the hall in front of the kitchen window awaiting her food order as she gawked at her girlfriend talking to an alien.

Ichigo couldn't help her thoughts as she observed Kish schmoozing Retasu and flirt with her. It was so strange. Retasu was sitting on her break with Kish at a table in the far corner to the side of the main doors of the cafe. The two were engaged in an energetic conversation of some sort. It truly was an unusual sight. The two were so different and she couldn't imagine what they had in common. Maybe they both were just lonely, but they seemed to be happily laughing with one another.

A bump to her arm caused Ichigo to come back to reality once again,

"You're spacing out a lot you know? You all right?"

Ryou, again.

Ichigo huffed, he was always surprising her like this.

"I'm fine! Why do you always need to sneak up on me?!"

The blond narrowed his eyes at her as he meandered up to stand beside her,

"You're easy to sneak up on because you're always on another planet when I see you-"

A buzz from his phone made him pause and pull it from his pocket to look. Ichigo stared at him as he began to respond to the text,

"Now look at you, texting during conversation. Rude!"

Ryou all but ignored her as he responded to the message,

"Pai and I have a presentation to the department of defense coming up. It's a big deal, it's about our DNA research for the comparison of our species and chimera animals. It's going to be a big event after the presentation."

The girl tilted her head, now feeling more curious,

"You two worked together that closely on a project?"

"Yeah... maybe you and the girls should come. He and I won't know anyone there, and we would appreciate the support. There is a banquet in a couple weeks with food and dancing afterwards; What do you think?"


	2. Banquet

_February._

The banquet was this weekend for Pai and Ryou's research award. The girls had been buzzing about it after buying dresses. Ichigo swept quietly on the front patio entrance to the cafe. Her dress was a red sparkling strapless gown with a slit up the side, she fondly referred to it as her 'jessica rabbit' dress. Retasu had gotten a subtle blue-silver gown that was a high neck, but form fitted. Zakuro was coming, but Ichigo wasn't sure what her dress would look like- but it would certainly be marvelous. Minto and Purin were not going to make the event unfortunately.

"You get the dirty work since that bird girl isn't here huh?"

That voice. Ichigo whipped her head up at the interruption and observed a familiar alien floating beside the front of the building. It brought back memories of how he would often fly down and kiss her, it felt like ages ago.

"Yeah I guess so- she's off doing that ballet thing. What are you doing here?"

Kish floated down and landed softly on his feet about ten feet from her,

"I came to see what was up.. That's all... Seeing as I don't get to visit too often."

She nodded,

"Yeah, You don't visit often. How are things up there in space?"

He chuckled and leaned against the building as she continued sweeping nearby.

"It's so much better now, everyone is thriving. And I figure I'll stick around for Pai's award thing this weekend. How about you Kitty cat?"

The pet name for her again brought back memories, she paused again in her duties to respond. It felt like they were such different people now. Her big brown eyes met his smirking face,

"I'm doing really well actually."

"I haven't seen Masaya- He still around?"

The question caught her off guard, as if she had forgotten about her estranged boyfriend away at college. It almost stung that Kish mentioned it, she really was feeling alone lately. She took a sharp breath and gathered her thoughts, her eyes fell away for a moment in hesitation. It felt weird to talk about such a thing with Kish.

"We're... Kind of taking a break. Him being away at college was really hard on us, but when he comes back it's like nothing ever changed. It's weird I knowm but he's only got this year left."

The aliens' smirk changed to somewhat surprise, he almost couldn't believe it. A few years ago, he would have plummeted at her feet and began flirting, but he didn't see her in the same light. It's like they were different people now. Kish took in the information and broke the awkward silence by standing upright and moving towards the cafe entrance doors. He paused when he was directly by her side, making a twinge of nervous energy charge up between the two.

"I hope it all works out for ya, I just want you to be happy Ichigo. You deserve it."

The alien then made his way passed her fully and entered the cafe doors. Ichigo was still for a moment, feeling odd about the encounter. This was a stark contrast to what she had always expected out of Kish. What he said stuck to her- deep down, she didn't feel that happy at all lately.

...

Lettuce was chatting with Kish near the entrance of the cafe, it was so bizarre to see. Kish was obviously interested in her, but wasn't relentlessly pursuing her. Kish didn't even glance over at Ichigo as she passed through the nearly empty cafe. It was closing time and the cafe would be shut down all weekend due to the group being away. The lead mew strode through and found Ryou and Keiichiro in the kitchen. The chef was cleaning up and Ryou was digging through the refrigerator for something.

Before Ichigo could sit down, Ryou closed the refrigerator and snapped his fingers at her to get her attention. As she looked over at him, he pointed to the door and asked,

"Would you come look at something for me? I hate to admit it, but I need a girls opinion."

A chuckle excaped Keiichiro's throat as Ryou asked Ichigo to go upstairs. The blond huffed back at his friend,

"Yeah I'm not just taking your word for it! I just need a woman's touch on this sort of thing."

Ichigo shrugged, assuming it was something to do with the banquet coming up in a few days. The girl followed her manager upstairs to his loft like apartment above the cafe. Inside, Ryou had two suits hung up on the double closet doors to the left when they entered his room. He walked ahead of her and brushed off some imaginary lint off the front of the suit jacket. There was a black suit and a blue suit.

"Which suit should I wear strawberry head? I texted Zakuro and she told me the blue one is better."

She grumbled under her breath for a moment in contemplation, but agreed as she stepped in close to the nicely tailored suits.

"I agree, the blue one will look better on you because you have blue eyes. Zakuro knows her fashion, so I definitely can't disagree with her."

The lean male crossed his arms as he looked at the suits,

"What color is your dress? Pink and frilly?"

Her head jerked in his direction and her body followed to turn towards him,

"It's red actually- smart ass."

A playful smile appeared on his face as he looked down at her, he shrugged,

"I don't know, I really think you look good in pink, not sure about red though. Guess we'll see."

"You jerk! You haven't even seen the dress yet!"

Ichigo squeaked as he turned to face her fully as well. It was then she realized how close Ryou was standing, it made her take a closer look at him. His eyes were piercing up close, and they practically glowed in the dim light of his apartment. He broke the silence, speaking more gentle to her,

"I'm sure you'll look stunning."

The flirtatious comment made her feel warm, here she was again in this situation with Ryou. The redhead practically whispered back to him,

"I guess you'll just have to see it saturday... But... I should probably go."

The blond huffed and then meandered over to the doorway, she felt somewhat relieved. As Ichigo moved to follow him, he put his arm across the door blocking it. He then leaned down close to her face,

"You don't have to be so stand offish you know."

The cat girl felt her ears and tail were on the verge of coming out with her nervous energy building. The attention was electrifying, but she still felt out of place. She didn't move a muscle, she could smell the faint odor of his sharp cologne.

"I'm not trying to be."

Ryou was good looking, no doubt. Ichigo felt her heart throb when he craned down an inch, she thought he was going to kiss her, just for a moment. The girl stood rigidly still and stared up at him awkwardly. He eyed her face with a slight smile playing his face and then flicked the light off as he opened the bedroom door. Ichigo felt some relief, and admittedly some disappointment as she followed him back out into the main area of the closing cafe.

...

Huge glassy blue eyes were stuck to the window as the limousine approached the extravagant old hotel. Zakuro allowed a small smile to appear on her lips as they pulled up through gorgeous foliage and decorative rod iron fences. Ichigo shifted, adjusting the bust of her shimmering red dress as Retasu cooed in excitement,

"It's such a pretty hotel... I can't even believe we get to stay here for the weekend."

Zakuro nodded quietly and Ichigo piped in,

"Two nights in paradise! I'm happy for Ryou and Pai, they worked hard for this."

"You're right, it's cool they get some recognition for their hard work. I wish the other girls were able to join us though."

The aquatic mew responded as the extended vehicle came to stop under an ornate car port. Valets immediately opened the limousine doors and assisted the girls out of the car. There were giant columns with roses tangled around them and valets and ushers running about. A giant golden lion statue was posted between two huge sets of doors. There were several people in suits and long evening gowns going inside. Zakuro motioned at the entrance where most people were walking,

"You guys ready? The guys said to meet them inside at the table."

...

There were probably 300 people there, young and middle aged alike. All of the guests were dressed to impress as the girls made their way to their seats. Retasu was busy gawking at all of the huge paintings that could almost reach the high ceilings. The only two men at their table currently were Kish and Keiichiro. Keiichiro was in a heather grey suit and Kish was in a dark green plaid suit.

Retasu couldn't help but blush when she sat beside Kish, he smiled and welcomed her. Ichigo plopped down between Retasu and Zakuro and took in the fantastic hotel aura. The building was cream colored with golden filigrie on the columns around the room. Lavish paintings and velvet curtains decorated the walls and windows. Ryou and Pai were notably absent from the table, likely awaiting their award behind the stage at the center of the far wall.

While they snacked on bread and salads to start the ceremony began. The wolf mew poured Ichigo a tall glass of red wine to mirror her own. Retasu wouldn't take the beverage, drinking wasn't really her thing. Kish nudged Retasu's arm as the lighting began to dim further,

"I'm scared of the dark, will you protect me?"

His tone was lackadasical and flirty, Ichigo rolled her eyes as Retasu let out a giggle at his comment. The lights beamed down onto the stage and the award ceremony began. Men in stark black suits presented several awards to government officials. The table seemed highly interested, but after almost half an hour, Ichigo felt herself sipping at her wine too quickly. These super formal scenes made her feel like she didn't fit in. Zakuro was always attending them due to being a model and Retasu was so well mannered, she'd fit in easily.

Ryou and Pai were finally presented their award. Ichigo perked up straighter in her chair to get a look at the two of her friends; Ryou was wearing the blue suit and Pai was in a black one. The two looked sharp as they were presented their crystalline looking trophies for their advancements in scientific research. Ichigo and Retasu shouted when everyone began clapping for them.

The cat mew then reached for her glass and realized it was empty, Zakuro took notice. The older mew chuckled and quickly poured Ichigo another glass from one of the bottles at the table. Ichigo smiled at her friend and thanked her,

"Thank you- So after a few glasses of that, you gonna dance tonight?"

Zakuro sighed and grudgingly nodded at her friend.

"We'll see about that."

They were then joined by Ryou and Pai shortly thereafter, who thanked them for coming. The dinner began shortly after that. As they ate, Ichigo took note of how good all the men at their table looked when Zakuro complimented their suits. Ryou let out a boisterous chuckle,

"Ichigo helped me pick it out, would you believe that?"

The cat girl felt her cheeks get warm,

"You were really gonna go with the black one? You would have matched Pai!"

The older alien all but ignored her comment and Ryou huffed,

"I wouldn't want to out shine my cohort over here."

The phony arrogance made the table laugh, after much joking and eating, the dancing began. The group quickly became divided. Retasu found herself whisked out to the dance floor by the green haired alien. Keiichiro and Zakuro were out mingling in the crowds, and Ichigo had to find a bathroom. As she made her way to the main hallway away from the dance floor, her blond boss grabbed a hold of her arm. She tilted her head and smiled at him as he spoke,

"You turning in for the night? Or you coming back out?"

Her vision was beginning to feel blurry,

"I'm coming right back- I just need to use the bathroom."

The blue eyed man smirked down at her,

"Okay, I'll be waiting on the dance floor for you then."

His comment made her blush and she swayed on her feet as she turned to walk to the bathroom. She giggled and waved her hand at him as he turned to go back to the main dance floor. Maybe four glasses of wine was too many. The cat girl made it to the bathroom and freshened up, she still felt she looked decent and not intoxicated.

The drinks definitely helped her relax, but she was afraid it was sinking in too much. As she exited the bathroom, she almost ran right into a tall man in a black suit. Ichigo stumbled to catch herself and she apologized,

"I'm so sorry about that- new heels!"

Pai was towering over her, and she felt herself almost laugh that she ran into him. The alien almost smiled at her with the corner of his mouth,

"Are you all right?"

"Oh Pai I'm okay, I'm... I'm just chugging along, ya know? How are you?"

The alien seemed somewhat amused by her different behavior,

"Adequate."

The cat girl felt herself swaying as she stood, she was sober enough to take a hard look at the alien. She had never seen him in a suit, he looked handsome- dare she admit that. His hair was cut even on both sides now without the banded section that used to hang down his cheek.

"You look good though, I'm happy for you and the award."

The alien nodded at her and excused himself as she then decided to make her way to the dance floor. As she walked out, she couldn't help but begin to laugh and cover her mouth upon seeing Kish and Retasu. Her aquatic friend had Kish all over her, she was bright red in a blush and appeared to be enjoying herself. The music had a quick beat and folks were grinding and dancing close to one another.

Another familiar face caught her eye, and it made a burst of anger well up inside her. Ryou was dancing with some girl she didn't recognize, and they were tangled up in one another. The sight of the two of them made her feel upset with him, not that he was hers, but within a few minutes of her going to the bathroom he was already all over another girl. The girl had strawberry blond hair and she was grabbing all up on Ryou- he seemed to be enjoying every second of it.

Ichigo turned on her heel and made her way back to the table. The irritated mew poured another glass of wine and immediately began drinking it after she muttered the word 'asshole' under her breath. She felt stupid, it was no surprise that he would let her down. The second she opens herself up to an opportunity, its slammed in her face like this.

After a few minutes, the other girl she had just seen dancing with Ryou bumped into her by flopping down in the seat Zakuro was sitting in. The cat girl felt jittery like she wanted to punch her as the girl obnoxiously giggled while pouring she and Ryou glasses of wine. Ichigo turned her head and saw Ryou approaching the table after shaking hands of some men standing around. The mew was fuming by this point as the intoxicated girl beside her spilled some wine on the table.

Ryou smiled at her confidently and took the glass from the new girl,

"What's wrong strawberry head?"

The red head felt immediately offended by what he said, just two days ago he was trying to make a move and he had just asked her to dance. Five minutes go by and he's got another girl on his hip. She bit her tongue and walked by him without saying a word, he watched her with as she left the room- suddenly feeling regret struck him. Ryou clenched his jaw, immediately recognizing why she was frustrated with him.

Ichigo flew out into the hall in a fluster, she took a deep breath and leaned back against a wall. Another big gulp from her wine glass finished this one off, that's five. Something out of the corner of her eye halted her frustrated thoughts of her flirtatious boss. A dark figure loomed nearby on a different wall, secluded from the others by a potted palm tree. Big brown eyes gawked over the familiar alien. Pai was in the same position she was, sitting back and observing those around them with his narrow glimpses. Without hesitation, the inebriated girl made her way over to him.

He stood upright as she approached and stood much closer than normal. The fragrant floral scent she was wearing wafted over him, the alien stared down at the short flustered girl. He could tell she was annoyed with something as she spoke and hiccuped,

"You look lonely- you-hic- You wanna go dance?"

Dancing was certainly not his cup of tea, he certainly didn't want to go dance in front of a crowd of people. The alien wasn't sure how to respond,

"I suppose."

The acknowledgement made her perk up in excitement. Normally she wouldn't have been so bold, but having a few drinks and getting pissed off at Ryou made her want to get back at him. Pai kicked himself as soon as he agreed to go, he didn't dance, why did he agree to this? He was actually about to go up to his hotel room to get away from all of the noise and people.

Ichigo latched onto the hesitant alien's hand and pulled him with her out to the main room again. At their original table, Ryou was sitting with the girl beside him, her legs were draped over his lap in a flirtatious manner. Ichigo barely glanced over at him as she drug Pai out, but the song changed as soon as she got out there. This one was slow.

The girl found a spot and turned to face her partner, and she clumsily wrapped her arms around him. The tall alien took a moment, but then picked up on what the song required of him as far as dancing went. Small hands found their way up to his shoulders and he felt his cheeks get somewhat warm. He stared down at the girl, he certainly didn't expect to be dancing with Ichigo.

It felt foreign to have someone so close, but she did look stunning in the glittery sweetheart cut dress. He felt more rigid as Ichigo moved into him, planting her hips against his. The contact made him even more uncomfortable, he wasn't here to flirt or get together with anyone. Due to her alcohol intake, she probably wasn't thinking clearly. But it was strangely intimate with how close she pressed to him. Her legs brushed against his as they rocked slowly side to side. He couldn't help but admit it felt nice to embrace another being in this manner.

Across the room, piercing blue eyes looked passed his new date to the alien dancing with the lead mew. Ryou felt the twinge of jealousy rise up inside him; she was doing this on purpose. He hadn't intended to offend Ichigo, and he didn't know she'd be so offended that he danced with someone else. It felt like an opportunity was slipping from him, why did he feel like this? He sighed as his date began to pull at his sleeve and interrupt his thoughts,

"You wanna go up to your room?"

"Why dont we dance a bit more?"

Ryou then lead the small blond girl out to the dance floor. He still felt numb with the unusual sense of jealousy about Ichigo. He had always been fond of her, and now that she was single, he was messing it up already. His date clambered onto him and began touching his chest and shoulders as she sloppily danced on him.

Nearby, Pai's back was to him while dancing with Ichigo calmly. The cat girl was firmly planted into the front of his body, and her hands moved down and wrapped around his abdomen into an embrace. She then rested her head against his chest. It was now more of a hug with slow side to side movement for the 'dancing'.

The lead mew sighed, taking in his scent and enjoying the warmth of his body. He smelled so different than Ryou, or Masaya, he smelled like the fresh rain, crisp but masculine. She felt herself becoming wobbly again, she had definitely drank too much. The alcohol in her system completely negated the fact she was dancing all over Pai- not a situation she ever felt she'd be in. But his arms were so strong and comfortable, it was a peace she hadn't felt in such a long time. The moment, admittedly, just felt so comfortable. Like she was home wrapped in her blankets.

The girls eyes then briefly met Ryou's as she and her tall partner turned during their dance, it jolted her from her relaxing thoughts. The blond man appeared very interested in the fact Ichigo was dancing with someone else. His eyes pleaded with her somehow, like he was begging her to stop.

A sudden pause from the short girl earned further attention from Pai. A groan escaped her throat and it caused the alien to glance down at the top of her head. She was leaning into him harder now, almost for support. Ichigo clung to his suit jacket as the slow song ended, using him for balance. Her head was spinning. She forced a chuckle and looked up at the alien,

"I'm sorry Pai, it's kind of hitting me all at once."

The alien nodded quietly in understanding, he then motioned for the main doors. Ichigo nearly tripped as she went to leave the dance floor, and Pai offered his arm for support. The cat girl clung to his arm graciously and wobbled beside him as they walked out. Behind them, Ryou felt his gut sink somewhat, he wished it was him with her.

Ichigo meandered towards the bathroom and hiccuped again. She was beginning to feel sick, red wine was so heavy to drink all at once in the way she did. Pai assisted her over to the bathroom and she abruptly disappeared inside. The alien stood outside the womens room, contemplating what his next move would be. A familiar face then approached him from behind and touched his shoulder to get his attention.


	3. Not a Fresh Start

A green haired alien danced his fingers around the hips of the girl he was dancing with. Retasu felt like her face hadn't stopped blushing since the minute Kish approached her. The two danced quick and slow with each change of the song. She wasn't even sure how long they had been out here- it felt quite like an out of body experience to be dancing with him.

It made her feel wanted and desired to have this alien pursue her in such a manner- it truly wasn't a feeling she was used to. Not to mention- she never expected Kish of all people to be flirting with her. His glowing amber eyes caught her attention, and he leaned in somewhat close to her face. For just a moment, she thought he might kiss her. But with a nod from the alien, the mew paused,

"You wanna go out there?"

The alien raised a hand and motioned to a large set of glass doors leading to a balcony. She eagerly nodded, needing a break from the intimate dancing. Retasu took a breath to regain her composure as she followed him out to the outdoor patio. He really got her flustered. The small patio had a set of four chairs with flowers inside decorative planters around an ornate stone railing. An expansive courtyard surrounded them over the 2nd floor balcony.

Kish took a deep breath of the cool crisp air as he eyed the vast dark sky around them. He smiled and looked back over at the flush mermaid girl,

"You all right? That was pretty fun huh?"

Retasu smiled warmly at her new found interest,

"It was a lot of fun... I'm just not used to dancing with anyone honestly."

Kish chuckled and eyed the shy girl as she took a seat at the rod iron style table. She had her long wavy green hair down like a pouring waterfall around her face. Retasu didn't have her glasses and had such a natural beauty to her. Kish felt odd, she was so different than what he remembered. All he could remember was how she seemed shy and quiet, he hadn't seen this sweet flirty side of her. He hadn't taken the time to look at her like this, and perhaps he should have.

Retasu wasn't just a fleeting intense crush, like he felt with Ichigo, she was wholesome. She was healthy for him- and he knew it. He just hoped he wouldn't screw it up this time.

Retasu tried to straighten out the front of her dress to ensure there were no rinkles as the alien approached to join her. She never imagined she could have so much fun with someone she hadn't really liked previously. She had always been fond of Ryou, but had realized after some time had passed that it would never work. Ryou wasn't a healthy choice for her, he strung her along and had so many romantic interests it made her head spin. Kish was certainly different, and seemed to feel the same way that he did.

As her counterpart sat down, her big blue eyes found his narrow amber ones. He wore an endearing smirk as he spoke,

"I know it sounds crazy, but you're really something, ya know?"

"What do you mean?"

Her comment earned a pause, he would have to elaborate. Kish tried to sound articulate as he continued, slouching in the chair,

"You seem so quiet and shy, but you're so genuine and kind... It's... really sexy."

The girl could have fallen out of her chair and her hands flew to cover her deep red blush. Sexy? She couldn't remember ever being called that in her life. Retasu shook her head and forced an awkward giggle,

"You are too much, Oh my goodness no way!"

Kish shrugged and kept eyeing the sheepish girl,

"You are though! I should have said something ealier... I really have had a lot of fun with you. I wish I had not been so blind and noticed sooner."

His words seemed to strike a chord with the aquatic girl and her eyes moved away to the side- like she was afraid to believe him. Kish bit his lip and leaned forward at her,

"I'm just saying you're a lot of fun, I wasn't trying to push ya or nothin'... Ya know?"

...

A light brush of a hand to his left shoulder made him glance over at the approaching person, it was Zakuro. The wolf girl motioned to the bathroom,

"Is she okay?"

She must have noticed the drunken Ichigo stumble into the restroom. The solemn alien nodded his head,

"I believe she has fallen ill."

Without another word, Zakuro disappeared into the womens room after her friend. Pai remained outside the door quietly. On one hand, he wanted to go to his room like he originally planned- to get away from all this nonsense. On the other, he felt a slight concern for the sick cat girl. Deep down, he rather enjoyed the moment on the dance floor and he felt a twinge of worry for her. He hated to admit it, but he actually had fun doing something out of his comfort zone. The alien remained like a statue- still and unwavering as he stared at the door. No doubt some women noted his odd presence outside the women's restroom.

After a few minutes ticked by, Zakuro emerged again. She looked flustered and fixed her hair as she whispered over at him,

"Pai she's sick. Can you help me get her to a room? We never checked in at the front desk for our rooms. We were going to do so after the dinner but..."

As she trailed off, he already deduced what she was insinuating. The poor girl had cut loose a bit too much and was now in need of assistance. Ichigo was too intoxicated to check into her room. The mews went from their number one enemies to his first friends on this planet- how ironic.

Although inconvenient, Pai knew the right thing to do was help them, as they had come all the way out here to support he and Ryou's achievements. Deep down, he also wasn't sure if every male here was trustworthy not to try to take advantage of a girl in this situation. He quietly responded to the violet haired girl,

"I will assist you."

Zakuro waved him into the bathroom after a quick glance around so no women saw. She certainly didn't want anyone assuming anything nefarious was taking place. Pai hesitated, he didn't want to be flagged as a pervert for entering the women's room, but Zakuro was not going to be able to get the drunken mew leader up to the room by her lonesome.

After a moment's hesitation, he entered the room. The sweet smell of lavender permeated the air, but the wretching from Ichigo disrupted the otherwise quiet bathroom. Zakuro winced as the red head vomited into the toilet in the first stall of the bathroom. Pai resisted the urge to grimace, she was miserably sick.

Zakuro rushed in and held back the wavy locks of red hair, blowing on the back of Ichigo's neck to cool her off. A whine escaped the nauseous girl's throat,

"I'm ssss-so sorry Zakuu-ro. I feel so bad you have to be here with me."

"It's fine, but look, we need to get you into a hotel room okay? Are you done puking for a minute?"

The cat girl was doubled over the toilet and lazily nodded her head as she spat into the bowl a final time. Pai earned a nod from the wolf mew and then reached in to grab Ichigo's right arm. The two violet haired individuals held her arms to keep her upright while she began walking. Ichigo tripped and wobbled as she clumsily walked between her two rescuers.

As Pai and Zakuro made their way out into the hall heading towards the lobby at the same time Ryou and his new date appeared in the doorway to the banquet hall to the right. The petite tan girl clung to his arm like a sloppy child. As soon as his eyes fell on the scene before him; it was like the girl beside him disappeared. For just a moment, Ryou felt another heavy pang of guilt. He should be the one taking care of her- Ichigo was a perfect girl for him; and here he was letting this new girl cling to him. He had already messed up, seriously. Ryou cooed out in a phony tone, trying to mask the fact he cared about Ichigo,

"Jeez strawberry head! You okay?"

Zakuro shot him a death glare as she continued walking alongside Pai and her highly intoxicated friend. Pai ignored the blond as Ichigo was practically dragging her feet and letting them carry her by her arms. He abruptly paused, bringing Zakuro's focus back to the task at hand. He calmly spoke to the tall woman,

"I will make this easier."

Zakuro nodded and watched as the dark alien swiftly lifted the small cat girl off her feet into a bridal carry. Ichigo let out a little squeak and collapsed in his arms. A couple of women nearby sighed in adoration of Pai's actions.

The limp mew took shaky breaths as she relaxed into his arms, her face was bent down into the firm chest of his suit. The older mew trotted ahead and hit the elevator button for them. Behind them, Ryou felt as though he was kicked in the gut seeing Ichigo in another man's arms. Again. First it was Masaya, and now it was Pai. He deeply hoped she didn't develop feelings for the cold hearted alien.

As soon as the elevator dinged, the three waited for a single unfamiliar male to exit. The strange man let out a whistle and winked at Pai as the three entered,

"Maaaan~ Someone is getting lucky tonight huh?"

The alien felt a surge of disgust hit his stomach. The fact this man thought of taking advantage of the sickened girl made him grimace and glare back at the human male as the doors closed behind he and Zakuro. It was wretched how some human beings treated one another. The wolf girl rolled her eyes in disgust as well, not responding to the snarky comment made by the unknown guy.

"Three."

Pai stated flatly to the girl helping him. Ichigo whined again and sniffled, her hands clenched onto the coat of his suit. Pai could feel her quivering as if she was beginning to cry. Her face was hidden under a mess of red hair and his black coat. A small hint of sorrow sunk into his hear as she stifled a sob.

"I'm sorry guyssss... I feel soooo bad. I'm soooo embarrassed..."

The girl mumbled drunkenly with her eyes still closed, tears welled in the corners of her eyes. Zakuro reached out and stroked her arm once,

"It's fine Ichigo, just sleep, you'll feel better."

The trio made their way to Pai's hotel room in #303. Pai was able to allow Zakuro to take the card out of his suit breast pocket and key their way into the room. The alien walked in as the model flicked on the dim lights. Pai then delicately placed Ichigo down on one of the queen beds- it was the most tender Zakuro had ever seen him be. This room thankfully had two beds in it. Zakuro took a deep Breath and felt somewhat softened by the fact Pai covered Ichigo up in the blankets; tucking her in.

The violet haired duo stood up and eyed the miserable girl for a moment as she dozed off. Zakuro took another deep breath and looked over at him,

"Are you okay with her sleeping here?"

Pai slowly looked over at her and kept his cold expression,

"Yes. However,I believe it would be better for you to sleep beside her so she isn't panicked when she awakens."

The wolf girl contemplated his response and agreed. It could be quite a shock when she woke up, being in a strange hotel room, waking up to Pai. The alien pointed to the other bed and spoke again,

"You may sleep there if you wish. I will stay awake."

Zakuro waved her hand at him in dismissal,

"The beds are big enough, I'll just sleep with her and you sleep in that one. No sense in both of us being useless and exhausted in the morning."

...

Throbbing. With a couple blinks, Ichigo slowly absorbed her surroundings with a blurred vision and a pounding ache in her forehead. A whine escaped her throat as she sat up and looked around the hotel room. The sun was barely coming up. To her right there was an empty bed that was made up. To her left, Zakuro slept peacefully facing away from her towards a wall.

Ichigo slowly climbed out of the bed and kept quiet as she darted over to the bathroom near the entrance of the room. She shook her head as she walked, realizing he had fallen asleep in her dress. How could she have gotten so drunk? How humiliating.

The cat girl rubbed her head and tried to straighten out her hair as she approached the mirror. Her make up was under her eyes and her hair looked like she had been electrocuted. She pondered for a moment- how had she gotten here? Was this Zakuro's room or someone elses? It had to be someone elses because there was another bed and Zakuro wouldn't have slept with her if there were two beds.

As her thoughts began to race the door opened behind her, causing her to flinch and whip around to the person entering the room. A familiar alien entered the room with three foam cups in a small tray in his hand. His narrow dark eyes met with her glossy brown ones- and they just stared at one another for a moment. Ichigo felt like she could pass out she was so embarrassed; this must be what it felt like to be shy like Retasu.

Everything came back, Ichigo vividly remembered dancing with him and her head being buried in his muscular chest. The girl blushed as she thought about how 'all over' Pai she had been- it was quite embarrassing to think about her behavior now that she was sober. He quietly held out the tray of what smelled like coffee to her- had he bought Zakuro and her coffee? It took a moment for Ichigo to realize he had been thoughtful and gotten the girls coffee before she reached out and took one of the foam cups. She smiled at him,

"Thank you. I'm... really sorry about last night and how I acted. I promise it's not like me at all to be like that."

Pai didn't make an expression as he took a coffee and set the last one down on an entry table for Zakuro. He quietly responded as he turned back to her in the doorway of the bathroom,

"It is not a problem."

Ichigo huffed and leaned against the wall, her eyes pleading with him to give her any further reassurance,

"Pai, I'm really so embarrassed. I hope you don't think less of me for how I was last night... It's just.. been a rough time lately. I'm sorry."

"I do not think less of you."

Deep down, Pai knew the girl must have had some battle she was fighting alone for her to cut loose in the manner she did. He didn't see her in a different light, but a particular moment was etched into his mind. The cat girl in front of him pressing her hips into his and laying against his chest. Ichigo had looked beautiful last night, and dare he admit, she looked good even now as she was hung over. He shut out the thoughts as soon as they formed, he wouldn't allow her to infiltrate his mind like this.

Ichigo sipped her coffee and sheepishly smiled at him,

"Thank you for being so cool about all of this, I really do appreciate it. Thank you for the coffee, but I think I should go check into my own room and get cleaned up."

...

Ryou groaned and heard his phone buzzing on the nightstand beside him. A warm body stirred next to him as he shifted over and fumbled around looking for the vibrating device. He let out a sigh upon realizing it was almost lunch time and the team was going to be meeting up for a meal within an hour.

The petite girl from the banquet turned over beside him, grazing his arm with her fingertips and she let out a low hum. Her wavy strawberry blonde hair was a mess around her head on the pillow beside him. He felt a twinge of regret as it was Ichigo who had sent him the text about lunch. The glow of the phone made him wince as he read it,

-Hey I'm sure you're as hung over as I am... but lunch is at the sushi place near the pool at 1:30. Just a heads up!-

A feminine hand crept over his chest and he felt his gut sink in despair at his decision to get with this girl he barely knew. She then mumbled a greeting to him as he shifted in the bed,

"Good morning."

Ryou cautiously picked her hand off him and scooted out of bed. As he made his way to the bathroom rubbing his hair, the girl called out to him,

"So are we doing lunch?"

...

Everyone in the group except Ryou was seated at the waterfront high-top table between the pool and the beach. The view was incredible on the patio with lush tropical plants and the calming waves of the ocean. As they were provided menus, a familiar blond male approached through the pool area coming towards the restaurant.

Retasu waved at her old crush,

"Hey we're over here!"

As soon as she said it, Ichigo turned and took immediate notice of Ryou's company- the girl from last night.


	4. Candy

February - The Banquet

A familiar new girl from the night prior waved and had a cheeky grin on her face as she approached with their blond manager in tow. The cat girl felt herself clench her teeth as the girl waved at them in a excited manner- this was the first time she took a sober look at her. The new girl was quite petite and tan, she wore a tiny blue tank-top and white jean shorts. The peppy girl greeted them,

"Hey guys I'm Candace, but you can call me Candy!"

Immediately Ichigo felt annoyed with her presence as the rest of the crew greeted her. Pai barely glanced at the girl, he was entirely uninterested in meeting Ryou's hook up. Ryou then pulled up a chair for Candy to join them. She squeezed in between Ryou and Retasu at the end of the table.

Pai sat across from Ichigo and noted her sour reception to the girl; he felt it was quite amusing. Candy began to chat with the group and tried hard to get everyone involved in conversation. A hung over cat mew was not having any of it as she was addressed directly,

"Oh girl you were so drunk last night! I love it! How are you feeling today? Hopefully better."

Ichigo felt like her voice was nails on a chalk board due to her hang over, she lazily leaned to speak around Retasu,

"I feel fine, thanks. Did you guys have fun?"

The cold tone was unlike Ichigo, and Retasu took notice. The blond manager felt the jab to his ego as Ichigo shifted her gaze to him. Kish stifled a chuckle, noting how annoyed Ichigo was with the situation. Candy obviously didn't pick up on the sarcasm in her tone and responded cheefully,

"Oh hoooh yes, you know we had a blast! I make sure I have fun wherever I go."

As soon as Candy said it, she leaned into Ryou and giggled annoyingly. Ryou sighed and looked away from the hard glare by Ichigo- he still felt guilty and wasn't sure how to get rid of the clingy girl. He made a big mistake and he knew it. Ichigo felt like it was a kick in her gut when the girl alluded to her night with Ryou and what transpired after the actual banquet.

Pai caught himself staring right at Ichigo as her tension built. Retasu intervened and began asking Candy personal questions to get to know her- just to stop the impending argument that was going to take place between her and Ichigo. The lunch became somewhat less awkward after everyone got some food in them.

The group decided to go to the pool deck and beach after their lunch to enjoy their last afternoon at the waterfront hotel. Tonight there was a 1920's party taking place at the old fashioned bar on the opposite side of the hotel. This was the last night in the hotel and the team was headed home in the morning.

...

"I'm not in the mood to deal with this girl, I'm really not. "

Ichigo muttered to her green haired friend who stood beside her in the elevator. She was met with a calming response,

"I know Ichigo, but maybe you're better off this way? Maybe Ryou isn't the right guy for you... Please try to enjoy yourself. It's our last day here! You can't control what he is doing."

The aquatic girl earned a smirk from her former leader as she changed the subject,

"Yeah yeah.. but... I know you're having fun at least, Kish is all over you!"

A blush washed over Retasu's face as soon as the alien's name was said,

"Oh gosh Ichigo, I don't even know what to do with myself! I've never had so much fun with someone... I can't believe it's him. I hope you're not mad or anything about it..."

The two exited the elevator into the lobby as they headed towards the pool. Retasu adorned a white one piece bathing suit with a glimmer to it and Ichigo wore a bikini that had little watermelon slice print on it. Ichigo laughed off her comment,

"Dude I told you, Kish and I were nothing and it was years ago... Go have fun! Hopefully he makes you happy, that's all I want for you...Someone to treat you right."

As the duo walked, they exited the large glass doors out to the pool deck. To the far side opposite of the hotel was just the coast and a beautiful white beach. Near the lagoon shaped pool to the right was a gym with glass walls on all sides, inside was two familiar faces. Ichigo and Retasu paused and watched as Pai and Kish were lifting weights inside the glass box of a room. The two of them had really bulked up in the last few years and were taking good care of themselves. Ichigo mumbled under her breath,

"Jeez... Speak of the devil."

The green haired girl turned and observed her friend staring at the older of the two aliens. chuckled,

"I guess you had fun dancing last night with him didn't you?"

"Oh my god!"

Ichigo clapped her hands over her face to cover it, she couldn't believe she was staring at Pai. What was wrong with her? She felt a nudge to her arm from Retasu,

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so bold..."

The red head shook her head and bashfully smiled at her friend,

"Don't apologize! I just feel embarrassed about how I danced all over him is all. I drank way too much. Pai totally wouldn't date me anyway, I'm not his type."

The last comment made Retasu ponder as the two found lounge chairs by the pool. She had quickly mentioned 'dating' and it was odd she would jump to that conclusion. The two girls waved, as Zakuro and Keiichiro were nearby already tanning. The mermaid furrowed her brows and whispered at Ichigo so the other two wouldn't hear,

"Is he your type? I'm not trying to make it awkward, but you two did seem to have some chemistry... Plus he carried you out like a knight in shining armor, how dreamy..."

Retasu trailed off and it got Ichigo thinking again as eyes wandered back over to the glass gym. The tall alien hoisted up weight as he laid on a bench, thrusting the heavily weighted bar over his head and shoulders repeatedly. Tanning and relaxing by the pool didn't seem to be his thing. The cat girl hadn't really taken the time to eye him, but he was a handsome guy. He was tall, dark, handsome, and best of all- was not a flirt with other women. Not that Masaya did, but Masaya was just overly sweet to everyone- and some girls took it as flirting. Pai didn't even seem look at other women, it was quite refreshing.

Ichigo shifted on her chair as Retasu began lathering with sun tan lotion beside her. Kish peered out of the glass windows at the two and waved, earning a wave in return.

Ichigo didn't hardly pay any attention to him as she was lost in thought for a minute. It was odd to think about, but Pai had not made a move on her when he had an opportunity, and resuced her when she was highly intoxicated. Unlike Ryou who jumped to the next girl who showed him interest, Pai stopped what he was doing to help her despite the fact he probably didn't want to be around the banquet crowd anyway.

Ichigo realized she hadn't responded to her friend as she got lost in thought,

"I guess it was sort of dreamy getting carried off- if you're not a drunk loser like I was. Jeez... I'm still so humiliated, he probably thinks I'm a total idiot."

Retasu couldn't help but chuckle at her friends candor,

"I'm sure he doesn't think that, Pai seems really... calm about most things."

"Yeah... I guess."

As luck would have it, a bump to her left shoulder made Ichigo jerk her head to the opposite direction of the gym to see Ryou standing right beside her. He must have heard the end of their conversation about Pai because he pretty much snuck up on them. Ryou smiled genuinely at her despite her death glare,

"Can I borrow you for a sec?"

Ichigo briefly looked around him and let out a snarky rebuttal,

"Your new girlfriend okay with that?"

"She's not my girlfriend- Can we just talk for a minute without you biting my head off?"

Although her anxiety was rising and she felt angered he would dare say anything about her frustration at the situation- she accepted and followed him. Ryou led her around the pool to towards the beach where it seemed rather desolate. There were very few beach goers and a soft breeze kissed their faces as he began.

"Look Ichigo, I don't really know what you want me to say. I am sorry if I pissed you off, that wasn't my intention at all. She started dancing with me and that's all it was. It's not like you and I are dating. I-"

"We're not dating but you have always flirted with me and I felt there was a little spark there... I figured now that I'm single and our situations are different, maybe something could happen. But here you are- snagging the first girl who shows any interest in you at a party when I'm gone for what? Five or ten minutes?"

The blond was visibly frustrated that she didn't just accept his apologgy. His hand then fingered back some blond locks and and he twisted his lips,

"Of course I'm interested in you but you're being crazy right now! We were just dancing- just like you and Pai were. Why does this need to be a huge deal?"

What a lie. Just dancing? The cat girl stopped abruptly on the sand and her eyes shot daggers into his as he turned back to listen,

"It's a huge deal because you're obviously not as into me as I thought you were- Don't lie about it! Yeah, I danced with Pai because I was mad at you and I was drunk- Ya know, I really had fun too till I got sick. Which there, again, you weren't there for me because you were occupied with her. The coldest friggin guy in our group came to help me with Zakuro. You were too busy getting your dick rubbed by a stranger to help me- Oh and I'm not stupid, you guys obviously hooked up."

A deep groan escaped his throat as he dropped his head back like he was in pain. She was right, Deep down, he completely understood why she was angry with him. The man continued,

"I'm sorry Ichigo, we weren't together and she started dancing on me. I was drinking too, and I made a mistake like you did. There's nothing I can do about it now. I apologize, I don't think you're stupid. "

The cat girl felt on the brink of screaming at him with how pathetic his apology was, he had to qualify it with her making a 'mistake' too. Her voice raised in aggravation,

"What's this shit about me making a mistake?! What mistake was that?"

Now, he couldn't help but get agitated with her, his temper got the better of him and he bit back harder,

"You dancing with fucking Pai! Then you ended up in his room with Zakuro, it's not a secret! You guys probably had some 3 way or something and that's fine. I can get over it, because we weren't together. We make mistakes. Can we just move passed this?"

The girl's face was ignited red as she stared in disbelief at what he insinuated. Ichigo felt herself begin to smile out of shock at the fact Ryou would say such a thing and claim she made a mistake too. It took a few moments of tense silence before she could lash out completely,

"Are you fucking nuts?! I danced with Pai, Yes! That doesn't mean I hooked up with him just because I was drunk! He and Zakuro took care of me because I got sick, I don't just go sleeping with people because I'm drunk. Are you crazy? Ask Zakuro if you don't believe me!"

Ryou put his hands up in a defenseless position as if he were shrugging,

"Whatever happened with you last night, it doesn't matter is my point... I just don't understand why we can't move passed this."

This conversation was going no where. The warm sun gave just slight comfort as she turned and looked out at the water, shaking her head in contemplation. He obviously didn't think he did anything wrong and her dancing with Pai was somehow equal to him hooking up with another person. The cat girl felt herself want to cry out of anger as her thoat developed a hard knot.

Ryou stood in front of her, his expression was soft and pleading for once. She couldn't find words and waved her hand as if dismissing a subject as she whipped back on her heel and walked back towards the pool area. The blond remained behind, sliding his hands into the pockets of his swim trunks and staring at the girl he was so fond of storm off.

Retasu had a genuine look of concern as Ichigo approached. From the hotel doors erupted Candy as the cat mew was walking back in. The young girl squeaked out at her,

"Hey girl!"

The mermaid mew winced as though she was half expecting Ichigo to punch Candy. The redhead simply waved goodbye to Retasu and mumbled hello to the new comer as she brushed passed them and made her way back up to her room.

...

The girl flung her clothes in a fit into a pile on top of her suitcase, she grit her teeth and murmered curses under her breath. How could he treat her like that? Just brush off her feelings like she didn't matter with some half assed apology. Ichigo felt like her heart was racing and she mentally kicked herself for taking her anger out on Candy. That girl had done nothing to her and was actually being nice- she didn't know about the ongoing chemistry between she and Ryou.

Today felt different though, like he had shown her who he really was. His true colors- this wasn't someone she could date on a regular basis. Ichigo paused, staring at the neatly made hotel bed in front of her. Ryou clearly was not as interested as she believed he was, and he was really putting blame on her to make her feel bad for his mistake. He deflected the blame about the situation so easily, instead of coming out and just apologizing. In actuality, he shouldn't have done it in the first place if he was interested in her.

She sighed and dropped the bathing suit cover up she had clenched in her fist as she pondered her situation. Another deep breath still couldn't calm her rage as she turned towards the balcony to look out the sunny window, she wanted to leave the hotel. Being around the group didn't seem fun with the issue with Ryou a stinking mess right now. He had sucked the fun right out of the trip and now she felt as though her crush on him had faded. It was like he was a different person entirely.

The girl tried once more to take a deep breath, but her blood was pounding. The thought of Ryou and that girl having sex just burned her up. How could he tell her he was interested if he was so easly picked up by a complete stranger? In her head, she could picture him on top of her and it made her almost sick. Ryou's behavior towards her didn't match what he was doing.

A sudden knock at the door startled the cat girl, making her ears and tail pop out. After her squeak of surprise she trotted over to the door, hoping it wasn't Ryou because she was ready to headbutt him in the face.

Outside her door stood a familiar giant alien with purple hair. She quickly opened the door and looked at what he held in his hand, her heels from the night prior. A nervous chuckle escaped her throat as she took the shoes from him, his tone was low and quiet like a hum,

"You left these behind."

His flat affect regarding her drunk escapade made her want to laugh even more, she felt like she was losing it.

"Thank you Pai, sorry I left them in your room. You can come in if you like."

Pai didn't move and obviously took notice of her pile of clothes behind her,

"You look as though you're on the way out."

Ichigo huffed and side stepped into the small entry hall of her room, glancing back at the clothes he obviously saw getting packed. She sighed and looked back over at him,

"I was thinking about it... I'm kind of not having fun anymore."

As soon as the girl said it she took another brief moment to admire the sharp chiseled features of Pai's face. He smelled clean like he had just showered and his hair was slightly wet. It was odd she never took the time to appreciate his masculine features- he was rather handsome. She had noticed last night, but now with sober eyes she knew she wasn't mistaken in seeing his attractive features. His eyes then locked on hers, catching her staring.

Ichigo felt her anger boil into a light flutter of butterflies in her stomach. His eyes pierced through her, like he could read her mind. Her rage then mustered into boldness and she felt compelled to stick it to Ryou. She'll show him.

The cat girl hopped forward and up on her toes, grabbing the collar of his shirt and planting a kiss on the alien. Pai's eyes widened at the contact and he stumbled forward slightly as she pulled him down into the doorway of her room with her lips locked into his. He was so much taller, she had to crane his head down to meet her lips.

It took a moment for the alien to reciprocate as he was utterly shocked. Pai raised his arms as if he wasn't sure how to react next. Her small hands yanked him harder into the room until the hotel door she had propped open slammed shut- isolating them. Pai then found his back to the wall beside the door and the girl slipping her tongue into his mouth. His large hands found her shoulders and he haphazardly tried to break the kiss.

Pai didn't try very hard to stop her, the young woman had aged so gracefully in the last few years and was quite lovely in her early 20s. Her sweet mouth invited him in and it was hard to exercise the thoughts of self restraint. However, he couldn't fathom this behavior coming from Ichigo- she had to be trying to make a point.

Ichigo felt her heart pounding in her chest, her heated temper was now transformed into a fit of passion upon the unsuspecting friend of hers. She pressed the front of her body into his while his back was pressed hard into the wall- again she drug her lips across his. The alien's pulse was quicker and his large hands slid around her back, pulling her against him. A coy thought crossed her mind as he dug his fingers into her back, that this once fearsome alien was now submitting to her. It was empowering.

The girl pushed him farther by rocking her hips against his, but his height put her hips lower on his body. It didn't take long until she noticed his excitement pressing into her lower stomach as she explored his mouth. Her heart kept racing, it was a thrill. Her small hands slid around his neck and shoulders, then further south on the front of his body. The cat girl's tail flicked about behind her as she then slid her right hand down across his abs and over his groin. The contact seemed to jolt the alien and his entire body stiffened- he abruptly grabbed her wrist to remove the feisty hand.

Big brown eyes met with his dark ones in a curious expression, she was surprised he stopped her. Ichigo had to admit she rather enjoyed the contact. Pai looked exasperated and his mouth hung slack for a moment as he tried to stand up straighter.

"Why are you doing this?"

The redhead swallowed hard, realizing where she was standing and how brazen she had been. Her stomach could have danced away with how light and fluttering it felt. Although she began with spite towards Ryou, she felt as though she was aching for attention. It had been lonely since she and Masaya drifted apart. The alien released her wrist and she stood in front of him apologetically,

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to come on so strong."

Again it was quiet, and Pai took a long breath, trying to calm his own heart rate. Her behavior was illogical to him, but he couldn't deny he enjoyed the attention. He couldn't help his physical reaction to the contact either. He stared at her for a few quiet moments and solemnly broke the silence,

"I can assert that you are upset with Ryou?"

Ichigo rocked back, slouching her posture and still feeling flustered,

"Yeah I was... But I really did have a fun time with you last night and I'm just... confused I guess."

The now embarrassed cat girl turned to walk into the main part of the bedroom a few feet away. Pai was too smart, he knew exactly what was going on with her. With a flop, she planted her backside on the edge of one of the beds. Pai cautiously moved closer but remained in the doorway,

"I suppose it is normal to be confused if your romantic interest is behaving...differently."

"I wouldn't say it's a romantic interest. We had some chemistry for a while, but he's not the person I thought he was. I saw that last night and today. I don't have any feelings for the guy really... I just... I don't know- He's not someone I could be with I don't think. It's a weird realization."

Pai had his hands in his pockets as he gazed down at the conflicted girl. Deep down, he quite enjoyed the affection she had just shown him.- but it was for the wrong reasons. The conflicted mew kicked herself mentally for her behavior. She just hoped it didn't make it awkward or that Pai would not want to be around her.

Ichigo found a shy smile and looked up at him again,

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

The alien's face had the faintest trace of embarrassment,

"You didn't."

His statement made her perk up somewhat- knowing he wasn't utterly repulsed by what she did was reassuring. Pai knew it was a complex situation, but it was truly exhilarating. Everything about him was carefully planned out, meticulous; and this girl was passion fueled chaos. He hated to admit that her unpredictability piqued his curiosity. Ichigo let out a chuckle,

"I don't want it to be weird between us. I never thought you and I, of all people, would be in this situation. But I...like being around you."

Pai's presence was calming and he was so much more mature than what Ichigo was accustomed to. He didn't seem to be out chasing women, he was focused on making himself and his planet better. He kept his personal life unsullied and seemed so well put together. In contrast; Masaya blindly allowed girls to flirt with him- although he would never cheat on her. Ryou was acting out and blaming her when he made a mistake; he clearly was not ready for a committed relationship. The two others were vastly different than this alien she finally was taking notice of.

Pai's chilled response made her almost hold her breath,

"I enjoy your company as well."


	5. Confrontation and Quiet

A giggle escaped the girls mouth as she waved her arm,

"Oh girl you are too funny! But hey, where did your friend go? She just bounced outta here."

Candy stated to the green haired mew in the lounge chair beside her. Retasu smiled kindly to the new comer,

"I'm not really sure where she went, she was kind of having a rough weekend ya know?"

Behind Candy sat an annoyed blond manager. He was laying on his stomach getting some sun on his back, staring at his cell phone. He stared at Ichigo's contact, considering texting the girl. He felt frustrated, he and Ichigo weren't even an item and she was jealous. The two flirted here and there and he was hopeful it would turn into something- but she was so touchy.

He stared at Ichigo's contact photo- a beautiful selfie of hers with some starburst fliters over it looking like she had a crown. The girl was special to him, and he was too stubborn to just take complete fault for her frustration. He wanted to be rid of Candy and be able to go back to the way things were.

The conversation continued between the two girls beside him, and Ryou slowly lowered his phone upon seeing two familiar faces through the glass doors to the lobby. A purple haired alien and a red headed beauty walking beside him. The two were having a conversation of some kind and it made Ryou practically glare through his glasses. The dancing, and now the two come out with one another. Something was definitely going on.

Pai and Ichigo exited the hotel lobby and waved at the rest of the group. Candy was oblivious to the entire situation taking place and Ryou's eyes were all but locked on the duo as they passed the pool deck. Ichigo didn't even look over to him as she walked beside the alien towards the beach. A seething jealousy washed over the blond as he watched her go.

The tall alien was his normal quiet self as he walked beside Ichigo. She had a large sun hat on her head, a bikini, and flip flops on her feet as they strode out onto the sand. She took in a breath of the salty ocean air,

"It's such a beautiful day, thank you for coming out here with me."

Dark aviator-like sunglasses blocked the view of his grey eyes as he scanned the desolate beach. Although he wasn't much for long walks on the beach, Ichigo had asked him to join her. Something about her fascinated him now, something he hadn't stopped to take notice of when they were previously enemies.

All she had been was Kish's infatuation and the leader of the mews, he didn't see her or any of the girls in any sort of attractive light. Now things were vastly different. Ichigo had grown into a beautiful female specimen with her curves filled out more into an hourglass. Her hair was slightly longer than before, now hanging down onto her shoulders with the same cherry red waves. Now that they weren't enemies, things could be different.

This was becoming quite the interesting predicament they were getting into.

...

Tonight was the last night in the resort and there was a 1920s event taking place at the hotel bar that was old fashioned in it's design. Talk of the speakeasy themed bar on the opposite side of the resort was the only plan anyone had mentioned.

Zakuro brushed her long violet hair in the mirror as the two other girls behind her crowded around a wall mirror touching up their make up. The trio was getting dressed to kill for the event tonight in short dresses. Zakuro wore a dark shade of eggplant with a deep cut V-neck. Retasu had a light blue sequin dress with capped sleeves. Ichigo wore a black silk looking dress with a plunge V-neck similar to Zakuro's.

The older mew glanced back over her shoulder through the mirror and her long hair,

"You guys seem to have quite the love interests lately."

Blood rushed to the other girl's cheeks and Retasu let out a nervous giggle,

"I do not Zakuro-san!"

The wolf girl rolled her eyes, the mermaid was never that convincing. The sultry taller girl turned and eyed her two friends,

"Retasu, Kish has been flirting with you non-stop. And Ichigo; Don't think you walking the beach with Pai went unnoticed. I think you got Ryou jealous like you wanted."

Retasu froze and tried to hide her cheeky embarrassed smile and Ichigo ran a hand over her hair. The cat girl responded,

"I don't really know what I'm doing if I'm being honest."

This statement caught Retasu and Zakuro's full attention, and Ichigo continued,

"On one hand, I always felt there was some kind of chemistry between Ryou and I. He would always help me and tease me, it was thrilling in a way but I was always with Masaya. So I never saw the possibility of us being anything until recently... And now, he's really shown me a different side on this trip. On the other hand, I never really stopped to look at Pai until we danced together and he helped me when I was drunk. He's actually kind of sweet... and I'm confused."

Zakuro was silent and the green haired girl piped up,

"I think it's about who you're more comfortable with Ichigo... Whoever makes you feel the best."

Retasu hadn't meant it in a sexual manner but Ichigo immediately felt her mind flash back to her kissing Pai and pushing him back into a wall. Her hips grinding against his made her look away from her friend to her lap, as if they could read her mind. Zakuro picked up on the inherent silence and offered her opinion,

"I think that's your answer right there. It's all over your face."

...

A slight knock at the door made the giant alien sit up from the hotel bed and go over, through the peep hole- he could see Ryou. As he opened the door, bright teal eyes met his and they were stark still for a moment before Ryou spoke up,

"Hey, I'm sorry to bother you. But, I wanted to ask you something."

Pai stared at him without an expression as he took note that the new girl he had been around was no longer clinging on his arm.

"Yes?"

Ryou seemed more tense than usual, he seemed to clench his mouth for a second as if he couldn't spit out the words. Thoughts of Ichigo dancging all over this alien and then walking down the beach beside him made his stomach lurch. He had created a mess and might not be able to recover from the mistake he made- he felt how Ichigo did now with the jealousy. The grey eyed male already knew what this conversation was going to entail as Ryou finally spoke,

"I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but is there something going on between you and Ichigo? You two seemed really close last night and today, I just... need to know."

The pointed question amused Pai, this human was usually so confident- and now here he was. He knew why Ryou was asking. The feeling that Ichigo gave him when she kissed him came to mind, sending a tingle up his spine. He calmly responded to his fellow researcher,

"What exactly are trying to ask me?"

Pai's response felt like a kick to the gut for Ryou and he eyed the taller male hard. A deep opposition became dredged between them at that very moment. Lean tan arms crossed at Ryou's chest as he spoke,

"I am asking if you and Ichigo are doing anything? I've never seen you two have so much as a conversation and now you guys dance and walk the beach together. I don't want anything to be weird between us since we have to work together frequently."

"Why would things be, as you say, weird? I was not aware you were an item."

Now Ryou felt agitated at the alien, he was playing coy and being sarcastic now. Pai was anything but stupid, and now Ryou felt like he was being challenged. Pai knew damn well what he was trying to get at. This question offended him and he piped up in a more heated tone,

"I'm asking you because... I'm-"

"Interested in her."

Pai finished the sentence for him, feeling somewhat at odds with Ryou now. He hadn't considered any romantic interest before, but something tugged at his soul about the fiery haired girl. The two men locked eyes in a hard stare- it was becoming adversarial. It wasn't a secret that Ryou had an affinity for the lead mew, but the violet haired alien never felt he would be in this situation. At odds with a coworker and interested in a human; what a combination. The girl had piqued his curiosity. Ryou cleared his throat and looked away as if someone could catch them discussing her,

"Yeah, I am. So you gonna answer my question?"

The taller being was quiet for a moment, feeling the smallest twinge of anger at his counterpart. It burned like a hot coal in his chest. Ryou had so quickly dropped the red head to hook up with someone new and now was approaching him for what? To keep him at bay from a girl he didn't have? It seemed ludicrous, the girl wasn't his property. The strained moment made the two of them somewhat defensive in posture, Pai kept his cool as he responded,

"You have quite an unusual way of showing your interest."

"Who the fuck asked you?"

The abrupt profanity didn't catch Pai off guard, he kept his wit about him without so much as a blink,

"You did."

A half huff and groan escaped the blond's throat as he threw his arms up, tired of the alien dodging his questions. Intelligence aside, they were quite different in personality. Now a rift was built between them.

Pai quietly eyed the back of the blond's head as he whipped and walked down the hall, seeing the conversation going no where. The infuriated blond felt his gut wrench into a knot, he had messed up and it may not be fixable. However, Ryou at least had an answer- Pai must be interested.

...

The three mews strode in confidently to the 1920's event at the speakeasy style bar. The bar was dimly lit and full of very classically dressed folks. It wasn't super crowded, and the faint sound of instrumental music could be heard over the conversation. There were three seats at the end of the bar near the far corner that the girls took as they began to chat amongst themselves.

Mid conversation, Ichigo noticed a familiar blond towards the other end of the bar who was staring directly at her. Ryou was sitting with a copper looking mug in front of him, his eyes looked almost sad. The glow of the dim bar made his sharp eyes stand out like diamonds. Ichigo turned away quickly, feeling nervous looking at him. She felt as though if he looked in her eyes he could see her irritation with him. As luck would have it, he made his way over to the girls and Kish was quick to show up.

Retasu couldn't resist the urge to giggle as Kish stood very close to her to talk. The snarky alien practically whispered to her,

"You look really good... like I could snack right on you."

The cheesy compliment made Zakuro and Ichigo roll their eyes. Ryou lingered near the group, trying to engage them in casual conversation. Ichigo was perched on a bar stool as Ryou, Retasu, Kish, and Zakuro stood beside her. The girl scoped the bar, ignoring him for the most part and making it obvious she was doing so. She mentally was denying the fact she was looking to see if Pai was there.

Ryou noticed her distinct lack of interest in him and it was hard to focus on talking to the others. Ichigo's side was now turned to him and pulled out her phone to send a text,

-1920's parties not your thing?-

Upstairs- A lazy hand grabbed at the buzzing phone on his night stand to read the text. He paused as he observed the text message from the cat girl. Pai was leaned back against a stack of pillows with a book in his opposite hand. He quickly responded,

-I am not big on parties, my apologies.-

Back at the bar, Ichigo felt somewhat sad that the alien wasn't coming. Beside Ichigo, Ryou was trying his hardest to seem like he didn't care what she was texting. However, it was really bothering him that her nose was in her phone while the others were laughing and cutting up together. The cat mew was not engaged in conversation whatsoever and she seemed detached.

Kish was flirting with Retasu like he had been the previous night. Zakuro quietly sipped a martini as Ryou discussed leaving the hotel the following day. Keiichiro joined the group after a few minutes.

Ichigo glanced around the bar as her friends had casual conversation, she felt out of it. Like she didn't belong there in that moment. She took a deep breath and waved the bar tender away who offered to take an order, she didn't feel like drinking after the night prior.

Only a few minutes went by before Ichigo abruptly got up and hugged each of the members of the group goodbye. The excuse that she was tired was used as she embraced each one of them. She hadn't been there half an hour, so it struck Ryou as odd. Deep down, he was afraid she was going to go see Pai.

The manager made a comment as Ichigo hugged him goodbye last,

"Got somewhere to be, strawberry head?"

A huff escaped her nose and she eyed him,

"I had enough of the partying and drama for one weekend... You can always have Candy join you, I'm sure she'd enjoy this sort of thing. I'll see you guys at home if I don't catch you in the morning during check out."

Her quick witted comment was a kick in the pants to Ryou, he couldn't articulate a response as she brushed passed him to leave the bar. Zakuro silently sipped her drink and Kish had a visible wince at the obvious insult. Ichigo felt a glowing sense of pride for sticking it to Ryou after hurting her feelings so.

...

After a melodic knock, Pai found himself answering the door for a familiar red head. The girl smiled sheepishly and tilted her head cutely,

"Figured if you wouldn't come down to us, I'd come up to you. I feel bad you're up here all alone on the last day of a vacation. Thought you could use the company."

Pai felt genuinely surprised to see the girl at his hotel door; he wasn't prepared for this. She was dolled up and dressed to kill with the deep V-neck cut black dress and spiked silver heels. He briefly hesitated and then slowly stepped aside to allow her entry into his frigid hotel room. Dim light from the television and lamp illuminated the room. Pai hadn't attended the event because he wasn't much of a partier, and a quiet night in sounded good after the drunken festivities the night prior.

It felt odd to have her visit him, he wanted so badly to inquire as to why she was there- but he didn't want to damper her mood. It was as if he was tossed a delicate flower and didn't want to bruise the petals.

An old American War documentary was on the television and a book was on the night stand as Ichigo glanced around. She felt somewhat flattered he would allow her to come in and interrupt his peace and quiet.

The mew turned and looked at the tall alien, he was still in the foyer to the room, looking at her as he spoke lowly,

"I'm afraid there is nothing exciting happening here."

"I'm not really sure what I'm doing here... I just felt like being around you I guess. I hope that's okay."

Her words earned silence from him. The alien agreed, but knew it was not a situation he ever felt prepared for. The thought of he and Ichigo alone in a hotel room never crossed his mind- not once. Never would he be standing here with this beautiful girl in his hotel room years after defeating the ultimate enemy. It wasn't probable in any scenario he could imagine.

Many things about this situation were illogical, what was he to do now? Entertain her? That wasn't like him. For the first time since he was a young teenager, he felt rather nervous.

"It's fine."

A man of few words. Ichigo's head was spinning in thought as she gawked at him. It was like she was on another planet and this wasn't really happening. Her thoughts were so jumbled, she hadn't remembered walking up here from the bar even though she hadn't had a drink. He shifted slightly under her gaze, it felt heavy. She spoke again,

"Can I watch TV with you?"

"You got dressed up for that party. Are you sure here is where you want to be?"

Ichigo was surprised at his response, and looked down at the rather sexy dress she was wearing. The witty girl grinned at him,

"You don't like my dress?"

Dodged his question. Pai's expression changed more than she had seen in a while, to surprise,

"I didn't say that."

A rush came over her again, it was nerve wracking trying to flirt and she wasn't sure why she was enjoying it so much. It had been stressful and now it was sort of a game. She had learned about Pai more in the past day and a half than she had in several years prior. It was so new and exciting, like she was trespassing on sacred ground. He was genuine, and deep down, he was kind.

The thoughts of kissing him came flooding back to her mind. Exploring his mouth with her tongue made her feel warm and fluttery again. Something was so intriguing about him, someone stoic and untouchable. Cold and unapproachable. It was so much different than what she had always been used to- and for some reason, she loved it. It kept her on her toes, and she craved to push his limits and boundaries.

Masaya had been casual and kind, but there was absolutely no mystery about him after the defeat of Deep Blue. Although they had a loving relationship, it had become rather stale as the distance separated them. He made no effort into making the relationship have more pizazz. And Ryou, was just showing his true colors and could go with that new girl for all she cared.

Ichigo stepped forward cautiously, like a leopard stalking it's prey through grass. Immediately, the alien knew what she was going to do. He was frozen with his narrow dark eyes locked down on her glassy brown ones. Part of him urged him to back away because he didn't care for the drama, but some new piece of him urged him to stand still. Still to dare her to make a move- like a game of chess. This girl had quickly become more intriguing than he ever imagined. Her rosy floral scent emanated around him as she approached,

"So you like the dress?"

Pai felt his pulse pick up. She looked stunning, the dress clung to the right areas of her body and his baser instincts made him want to grab her and ravage every bit of her. The logical side of him again wanted to ask her to leave so he could continue his boring quiet existence. There was a new nagging feeling in the back of his mind, a piece of his brain he hadn't touched in a while. The Red head knew she was gaining control of the situation and could get what she wanted out of him. The formerly hesitant leader of the mews was no longer so hesitant.

Quiet stern words escaped his throat,

"It suits you very well."

The compliment caught her off guard entirely and jerked her out of her brazen approach. Just for a moment, she was the shy teenage Ichigo in utter shock at the flattering compliment. This was becoming quite a chess game between the two. A blush coated her cheeks and she let out a giggle,

"I never thought I'd hear a compliment come from you! Gosh you used to hate my guts!"

"That is untrue. It was not you I hated- it was that you stood in the way of our mission. It was my job to eradicate you."

Thoughts of him turning on Deep Blue distracted him, causing the alien to almost flash back to the final battle. It was the bane of his existence- he turned on his ruler to save the girls at the last minute upon realizing what Deep Blue had become. It was something he was most proud of, but also greatly regretted. Ichigo realized the nerve she struck and almost grimaced when he trailed off. Pai smoothly continued,

"Then with Master Deep Blue gone, we could find a peace we never thought we could have. It was the best outcome."

This was a topic discussed many times over the years, but Ichigo had never stopped and heard how Pai felt about it. Pai was the reason they were saved, along with Masaya turning on Deep Blue. It dredged up very weighted emotions and Ichigo knew she had to change the subject,

"We don't say it all the time, but we are all grateful for what you did for us. I don't wanna damper the mood though!"

The two eyed each other only for a moment until he walked passed her to the bed he had previously been seated on. He didn't answer- probably a sore subject still for him since he betrayed the ruler he had been blindly dedicated to. Ichigo took the hint and followed, plopping down on the opposite queen bed, she spoke again,

"I don't know what it is about you that I never saw before...That's my fault I guess. But I've had a lot of fun getting to know you on this trip."

"Likewise. The dimensions one can see in a person can change so much with just a slight alteration to your perspective. Like a Kaleidoscope."

His answer was articulate and thought out, it made her really ponder and her eyes move to him as he laid back on his mountain of pillows. He was right, looking at someone and making a snap judgement can skew how you percieve the world. She had never taken the time to get to know him in this manner, even after he saved them- and she now regretted it. Ichigo smiled,

"Would you let me get to know you more then?"

With a smooth turn of his head to his left his eyes were back looking into hers, he seemed surprised but like he was trying to hide it behind a wall.

"I suppose."

Ichigo smiled at him and made herself comfortable where she was seated on the opposite bed in pillows and a blanket despite her attire. The alien offered to change the channel, and she refused, knowing he was interested in the history of the earth. Just a piece of her wanted to move over to lay beside him, but she already had made such a bold move before she didn't want to push him away. The documentary had a dark scene, showing old photographs as they were retouched from the American civil war.

When the scene brightened, she realized her friend now was standing over her by the edge of her bed. It was like she had blinked and he was suddenly there, towering over her. Ichigo felt only a quick jerk of surprise and then gasped when the alien climbed onto the bed near her feet. His shirtless upper body blocked the TV screen and he slid his hands from his ankles up her legs. Long fingers slid firmly over her calves and up to the insides of her thighs. She didn't know how his shirt had come off without her noticing.

Ichigo felt her face blush hard and she couldn't find any words to say. Her wide eyed stare moved from his traveling hands up to his stoic face. With one gentle but deliberate motion, he pushed her legs apart and then leaned down between them, making her practically squeak. His eyes never left her face as he arched down and his right hand traveled higher on her leg to shift her black dress up.

She didn't protest and felt her heart pounding in her chest as the alien then curved both of his long hands around the most inner part of her thighs. Another small push completely exposed her lower body and the alien sunk slow in within an inch of her womanhood, his gaze only broke for a moment and he paused. She realized at this moment she somehow was no longer wearing underwear, but she couldn't even fathom how that had happened.

Ichigo felt her breathing almost quiver and she ran a hand through her hair nervously. His dark eyes only paused to seemingly ask for permission, and she reached out with her opposite hand and caressed the side of his face. Without a second hesitation his mouth planted hard down between her legs, making her head fall back to the headboard in excitement.

The top of her head clanked against the wooden headboard and Ichigo then jerked awake. A gasp escaped her throat as she sat upright in the bed in a flurry. Pai wasn't there on top of her at all, the room was dark. The girl whipped her head to her right and he was still laying there, but with his eyes closed. The soft glow of the television and another documentary so warmly lit his sleeping face in the dark room. Ichigo felt as though she was overheating and she was fully dressed and noted she was in fact wearing underwear.

Ichigo's hands covered her mouth in utter shock as if he would wake up and somehow read her mind. She hadn't been touched at all, it was a dream.


	6. Goodbyes and a Visitor

The alcohol filled glass in front of him was not enough to quell his thoughts. Beside him was Kish relentlessly flirting with mermaid mew. Keiichiro and Zakuro had disappeared to see the piano bar area, and he hadn't seem them in a bit.

Ryou's lips were strained into a hard line as he stared at his phone. He wanted text her so badly. The most likely scenario was his worst fear- she's with Pai.

The thought of the tall alien running his long bony fingers over her peachy warm flesh made Ryou feel nauseous. She would probably stick it to him and do something with Pai out of spite. Deep down, he knew he deserved it. But the images of the two of them engaging in any type of intimate activity made him want to scream and throw things. To distract himself further, he waved at the short hispanic bar tender to order another drink. The thoughts he was having were killing him.

A rythmatic movement of Retasu's hair moving beside him caught his attention. Kish's hand was sliding though her hair in a few gyrating motions as he kissed her. The two were lip locked and Ryou suddenly felt very out of place. For just a moment, he felt like it was Ichigo kissing Pai.

He grit his teeth, how could he let Ichigo slip away. This was his opportunity, and he's already fucked up this time.

Ryou clicked quickly on his phone to send a text to the red head,

-You coming back? :P -

...

Ichigo was shivering in the cold temperature of his hotel room after calming her own heart rate after her steamy dream. She felt like she was sweating at what she had imagined, she felt almost embarrassed for having the erotic dream about the sleeping alien in the other bed. She breathed and grabbed her phone from beside her on the bed as it vibrated with a text.

It was Ryou. He asked if she was coming back to the party with a cutesy emoji face. Ichigo twisted her lips in frustration at him. Now that Candy was gone, he suddenly was focusing on her again- it boiled her blood to think about it again. Ichigo angrily texted back,

-Nope!-

The curt text would surely get her point across. The cat girl then glanced over at the alien she had the dream of. All her anger fell away as she stared at the male she had never previously taken the time to look at in a romantic perspective. He was so peaceful asleep, no distant stoic expression. He looked so relaxed and gentle, his lips parted slightly as he breathed. Ichigo felt herself want to giggle, this alien had been by far one of the most dangerous she's met, and now she was eyeing him in a position of true gentility.

The girl relaxed back on the bed and stared at him for a few moments, this was such an unusual place to be. It was a new experience to be looking at Pai in this light, but deep down, she enjoyed that dream she had.

...

Ryou stared at his phone at the one word response he received from Ichigo. It was a small blow to his ego that she wasn't any more engaging in conversation. He was no longer at the bar, perched, watching Kish pursue Retasu. He had found his way up to an upper level, secretly looking for the girl whose feelings he dampered.

The blond man took a deep regretful breath as he knocked on Ichigo's hotel room door. Despite his better judgement, he had come up to see if she'd give him a change to talk. The knock seemed so hollow, and he heard nothing. No television, no laughing, no talking. The man knocked again and leaned in close to the door, afraid of what he might hear.

Nothing.

Ryou clenched his teeth and dropped his forehead against her door. He took a shaky breath, feeling as though his worst nightmare was coming true. He was losing her...again.

Without a rational thought, he tried calling her. The call was rejected after one ring and made his stomach drop. It was nauseating to think of where she was, though he knew damn well she weas in someone elses room. For just a moment, insecurity took over.

...

Coffee wafted around the three individuals seated at the hotel breakfast lobby. Retasu quietly ate as Keicihiro spoke to her and Zakuro over the continental breakfast.

"I really enjoyed this trip, it was good to get away and celebrate Ryou and Pai's accomplishments."

Zakuro felt her eyes shift over to the kind brunette man,

"It is. A nice break from every day life."

Retasu cooed as a green haired distraction meandered through the various tables towards where they were seated. A slight rush of blood to her cheeks made Keiichiro turn over his shoulder and smile at the approaching alien. The wolf girl fought off a smile as she slowly glanced at Retasu beside her. Her counterpart was so excited to see Kish. The spectacled girl smiled bashfully at him as he sat in the chair beside Keiichiro.

"Good morning... You sleep okay?"

The alien groaned and fixed his messy hair,

"Morning... I'm so tired... I can't believe check out is as nine."

Keiichiro chuckled as he kindly poured a cup of coffee for the seemingly hung over alien.

"I believe it isn't until eleven, but it's good for you to get some breakfast before you go anyway."

As soon as he said the words, Retasu felt a cold lurch in her stomach. It was like she had completely forgotten that Kish still resided at home after the final battle. On another planet entirely. Taruto had stayed on Earth with Purin and Pai stayed due to the research opportunities. Kish slowly shifted his bloodshot eyes to the girl across from him who seemed concerned. Her face looked as though she'd never see him again.

He faltered as he tried to respond,

"Yeah... You're right."

Zakuro continued eating quietly as she eyed the awkward interaction now taking place. The mermaid mew wouldn't beg him to stay, it was not like her. Retasu sighed ever so slightly,

"It was really great getting to see you."

The words were like ash in her mouth, drying it out and making her emotionally freeze up. All three of the others silently noticed at the table. Retasu felt like a sinking ship, growing cold and under pressure. No matter how close she had grown to him, he was still going to go.

On one hand, she felt silly, it was just a weekend and now she felt stupid. Why would she have given any piece of herself to someone she knew was going to leave. Her thoughts were crowded in her mind as she looked at the amber eyes across from her. She felt like she was drowning in her feelings all too suddenly,

"I need to go grab my bags, I need to get on the road."

The abrupt subject change by the green haired girl earned concerned glances from everyone else at the table, and Kish immediately froze over. Without another word, she got up and hurriedly walked off. Zakuro's abysmal eyes shot to the alien in a soul piercing glare, awaiting what his response would be.

Kish wasn't looking at Zakuro, he was staring at the back of the shy girl's head as she strode off towards the lobby. He felt surprised but conflicted. He didn't live on Earth, but he had gotten to know her and yearned for more. His posture softened and his worried eyes met the stern look of the wolf girl. Keiichiro sat quiet as Zakuro snapped at him quietly,

"If you care about her; prove it. If you don't, you need to leave her be."

...

"If someone sees me leaving, I'm sure a worse rumor will get started about us."

The red head stated with a chuckle; seated on the edge of the bed she had fallen asleep in the night prior. Pai was nearby, finishing packing his belongings to go home. The alien had been moving about room quietly packing his things, he responded dryly,

"I have never cared for rumors. They are created by the jealous and only believed by fools."

The response earned a laugh from Ichigo. He was so flat in his humor, it was quite a contrast to what she was used to. She smiled at him as he continued packing,

"I hate that this vacation is over, I hope you'll come to Tokyo sometime..."

She drifted off in her response, it was saddening to think he'd go back to his life and probably not speak to her. Like the weekend never happened. Something about him intrigued her to know more, a cats curiosity indeed.

Pai paused when she trailed off, his narrow eyes met hers,

"I'll be around."

The response made her feel calmer, she absorbed it and stood up, tip toeing over to his side. The alien had continued putting away clothes and didn't notice how close she was getting until she was directly beside him. Ichigo smiled warmly at him,

"Even though I started off totally embarrassing myself- I hope we can do something sometime."

Something? Pai's mind was racing, all of the possibilities that came with that word surged through his power grid of a mind. The alien looked down at the cute girl who was becoming more shy by the moment. His heart fluttered, he felt compelled to express some honest emotion to her. The alien allowed a smile to play his lips as he looked down at the short human. As soon as he smiled at her, she looked wonderous like a child seeing a shooting star.

Ichigo stared at his lips and then up to his tired looking eyes again. The lead mew felt compelled to kiss him, but swallowed the feeling remembering how she had come onto him. She winked and turned on her heel, proud of herself for not pushing the issue. Pai looked at her as she walked towards the door, still in her tight black dress. It suited her figure so well and he couldn't help but glance over her. She spoke back to him in a cheery tone,

"I gotta change out of this walk-of-shame outfit and get back home. I'll text you, okay?"

As soon as her hand touched the door knob, she felt a presence directly behind her. A scared chirp excaped her throat as she flinched and turned around to see the giant incredibly close to her. The violet haired alien stared down at her in a contemplative manner, making her feel breathless. He looked as though he was debating his next move. Ichigo took in his scent and her eyes shifted down to his lips once again.

Pai's introverted personality contradicted itself, he wanted to just go back home like this weekend never existed- but this girl dared him to make a move. He couldn't let her just leave, not knowing he had the same romantic inclinations she did. This type of interaction was certainly not his strong suit.

Pale hands reached out and cupped her face, making her blush and light up. He wasted no time and delicately planted a kiss on the girl's lips. The kiss was shocking and Ichigo found herself arched up on her toes. She returned the sweet kiss and pressed forward. Pai took the hint and his hands then moved to around her waist into an embrace. Ichigo wrapped her arms around his abdomen and hugged him in return.

Instinct took over and Pai felt himself edging her back into the hotel door. Ichigo relinquished control to the alien and allowed her back to be pressed into the door. She deepened the kiss by piercing her tongue into his mouth and he reciprocated just as eagerly. Her small hands reached over his bulky shoulders and around the back of his neck. She gasped into the kiss when his hands flew to the sides of her thighs and he lifted her against the door.

Easily he placed her entire weight on his upper legs and hips, pushing the small cat girl into the hotel door. Ichigo croaked out a giggle and then continued kissing him with her legs wrapped around his hips. Pai paused the kiss only for a moment and one of his hands slid up to her neck area, but he administered no pressure and slid the hand around to the back of her neck then into her hair. As his long fingers felt around the back of her scalp in her deep red hair, she clung around his neck. Ichigo stared into the dark alien's dark but adoring expression. Pai looked exasperated and it made her ache to push his buttons, she whispered to him,

"You surprised me..."

Pai had an intense way about him, and he seemed so relaxed, but so serious at the same time. He practically whispered his response as well,

"My apologies... You make me feel out of control."

His hand slowly moved out of her hair and down to her upper arms. Ichigo grinned that she had such an effect on him,

"Trust me, I won't break."

The alien leaned in close to her face, she made his heart start to pick up speed in her challenging tone. Before he could adequately react or kiss her again, A knock at the door made the girl flail and Pai let her down so he could glance through the peep hole. She moved beside him as he leaned down to look outside, Ichigo stifled a gasp as the alien said his name,

"Ryou."

The cat girl covered her mouth and shook her head, she scampered into the bathroom door as Pai opened the door. The blond stared up at his counterpart when the door was opened,

"Hey. I just wanted to let you know, I won't be back at the lab until Wednesday. Is there anything you'll need before then?"

The grey eyed male responded without emotion,

"I do not."

Around the corner in the bathroom, Ichigo stood silently. She felt her temperature rise and she was so anxious at the thought of Ryou seeing her in there. He'd never let her hear the end of it. It wasn't that she was embarrassed about being with Pai, She just wasn't ready for the confrontation that would take place. Too much drama to end the weekend with.

Ryou's gaze took note of a certain set of heels in the hallway behind Pai, the ones he had seen Ichigo with at the 1920's party. His gut sunk and he felt a chill, she had been there. That's all he wanted to know. Hell, She could still be in there now. Again, the thoughts of her with Pai bore in his mind. He choked out words,

"I guess I'll see you then."

Pai nodded at the man before he left like a dog who got kicked; retreating with his tail between his legs. After the man disappeared down the hall, Pai allowed the door to close. The alien knew that Ryou was only seeing if Ichigo was there- he could have easily just sent him a text. A small nervous chuckle escaped the bathroom when Ichigo stepped back out,

"Oh my god that was so awkward! I got so nervous."

The girl was laughing, but for just a moment, Pai felt unusual about her reaction to hide. She had hidden so quickly so Ryou couldn't see her. A small bit of him felt like he had been kicked in the gut, was she afraid to be seen with him? No, that couldn't be it, he was over thinking.

Pai shook the thought quickly, that certainly wasn't her reason. Ryou was her manager at the cafe, she likely didn't want more issues with him. He brushed off the conflicting thoughts, it was too early to overthink things in such a manner.

The two exchanged plain goodbyes with a hug- and Pai surprised her by planting an affectionate kiss on her forehead as she gathered her heels to go. The two of them had discovered quite a connection on this trip, and it didn't go unnoticed by the others.

...

The week at work had been rather normal, except the fact that Ryou hadn't spoken to her much. It was finally her last day at work for the week, and Ichigo was beyond ready for her weekend. The lead mew was quiet as she walked out of the locker room after changing. Other girls giggled and gossiped inside behind her as she left. She also could hear the clanking of dishes down the hall.

The locker room was under the staircase to the second floor where Keiichiro and Ryou's apartments were. Ichigo made her way towards the kitchen on the opposite end of the hall with a quick glance up the stairs; luckily she didn't see Ryou. The two of them had never been more awkward around each other.

It surprised her that Pai had actually texted her some during the week, and she hated to admit she missed him. She ached for more attention, but she didn't want to seem desperate. It was too early in the forming relationship for her to tell him she missed him. Secretly, she wanted him to make the first move too.

Ichigo walked passed the kitchen service window and into the actual kitchen where she found Keiichiro cleaning up some cooking supplies. He greeded her kindly as she entered the room,

"Good morning, You're here early."

She smiled and sat down at the small employee table where there was a fresh pot of coffee waiting for her.

"Morning! Yeah I woke up earlier than usual so I figured I'd just come in. I got ready quick...Whats going on?"

Keiichiro continued cleaning as he responded, his back to her,

"Nothing much since we got back. Ryou is upstairs doing an online conference for a new project and will be down shortly."

The chef didn't turn back as the girl made herself a cup of coffee at the employee table. She was the only mew working today, the rest of the girls were new hires that weren't privy to being a part of the TMM Project.

Ichigo pulled out her phone since she had a few minutes before the shift started. She quietly stared at the chat she had with Pai, he hadn't messaged her in two days. On one hand it was a small kick to the gut, because she didn't feel as important as she wanted to be. A piece of her wanted him to pursue her, but she knew he wasn't the type. He was so distant, it made her crave to get his attention for some reason. Her conflicted thoughts were interrupted by Ryou entering the kitchen.

The manager paused and eyed Ichigo as she turned to look at him. The girl wore a casual smile on her face as she nodded at him as a greeting. As she briefly looked at the lean man, she didn't feel the same as before. The once handsome boss now seemed different, her attraction to him felt worn and out of place. There was a time she vividly remembered he would make her blush and question her relationship with Masaya. However, it was different now.

The male made his way over and poured himself a cup of coffee,

"Morning Strawberry head... Surprised to see you at work on a Saturday."

The snarky comment made her roll her eyes at him,

"I'm off the next two days, don't you worry."

Sensing an awkward conversation was about to take place, Keiichiro interjected,

"Well I'm going to go open up, Ryou, would you go get the other girls from the locker room?"

Ichigo stuck her tongue out at the blond as he carried his coffee mug out of the room to get the other waitresses. Keiichiro exited the kitchen with Ichigo on his heels to open the main doors. It was cool still with the spring air so they frequently left the doors wide open.

Someone outside knocked lightly on the door and Keiichiro called out as he approached through the main seating area,

"One moment!"

Ichigo stopped at the hostess stand and turned on the computer. Behind her, she could hear the other girls as they giggled and talked amongst each other. They were all into Ryou, so she was sure that's what they were cackling about. Every time he had to get them from the locker room the girls got an eyeful of their handsome boss. Keiichiro smiled wide as he opened the huge double doors to the cafe,

"Welcome to Cafe Mew Mew!"

There were probably eight people awaiting the opening of the cafe and one person in particular stood out. The familiar man was alone at the front of the small group with a bouquet of white roses in his arms.

Keiichiro paused and stepped aside for Ichigo to see who was there, his grey eyes shifted back to her to see her reaction. As soon as her eyes met the man at the door, she instantly froze still behind the hostess stand. Chills ran down her spine and she didn't move. Ichigo's heart skipped a beat when she saw who was there for her with flowers in hand.


	7. Old Flames Die Hard

The room felt unnaturally cold all of a sudden and sent shivers up her spine. Ichigo allowed an awkward smile as the man walked in to her and embraced her.

Masaya.

Ichigo numbly hugged him back and felt a whirlwind of emotions. Part of her was happy he was back, the other part of her was uncomfortable. It was strange to see him just pop up when he still had at least two years of schooling left to become an exotic animal veterinarian. Masaya warmly hugged her and kissed the side of her head,

"It's so good to see you Ichigo."

The redhead nodded and seemed to struggle to find words,

"I'm uh... I'm happy to see you too!"

Her former lover stepped back and handed her the beautiful bouquet of flowers. Keiichiro seemed to lose interest in the reunited lovers and begin welcoming in the other guests awaiting the cafe opening. Ichigo's big brown eyes moved from the flowers up to the man she once loved more than life itself, he inquired to her odd reaction,

"Are you all right? You seem out of it."

"I'm okay... It's just... I'm surprised to see you. I thought you were in the middle of a semester?"

Masaya nodded and reached out, his hand gently caressed her cheek for a moment and he responded,

"I am, but we have a week off due to a big gas leak in the science lab. While they clean up, I was able to get a ticket home. It's been so long since I got to see you. Can we go somewhere for an early lunch? Or can you take the day?"

Ichigo hesitated for a moment, she felt like it was an out of body experience. She felt like any second Masaya would see through her and the interactions she had with Ryou and Pai. Nearby, Keiichiro cooed into the conversation as he grabbed some menu's to seat another round of guests,

"We are fully staffed today, so if you want to take the day you can."

...

A green haired alien grumbled in complaint as he gazed out the glass windows of the modern apartment. He was seated on the couch, staring at the cell phone he had gotten while he visited Earth. Behind him, Pai was in the kitchen feeding a fluffy grey persian cat who mewed in complaint as he awaited food. The thoughts of his time spent with Retasu clouded his mind, he had greatly enjoyed being around her. She was so different than any girl he had been interested in before. The sound of food pouring into the ceramic bowl earned Kish's attention.

He looked over to the other alien in the sleek kitchen,

"Are you working today?"

"Negative."

The younger alien perked up slightly and stood up,

"Maybe we can go to Tokyo tonight then?"

Pai was uninterested in Kish as he observed the whining persian bury his face into the food dish. He didn't notice the shorter alien approach the island countertop and lean over it,

"Well?"

The dark eyed alien turned back to his counterpart with no real expression,

"Why would we do that?"

Pai asked the question but knew deep down why Kish wanted to go. Secretly, he rather missed the affection he had received from Ichigo and was curious about what she was doing. He wondered the last few days if she thought of him as well. He didn't want to give in, but the time he had with her had been exhilarating. Playful amber eyes narrowed at the older alien and a wicked grin played his face,

"You know why... I think the girls would appreciate us visiting."

...

The former couple walked beside one another towards a small shopping center with an italian cafe. As they made their way, Masaya kindly made conversation,

"The semester has been really tough, chemistry is no joke at college level. But I'm passing everything so far and just have to get through exams. Oh! I was also thinking, since Summer break starts in June, I'd come home for the summer to be with you instead of taking classes. What do you think about that?"

Ichigo couldn't help but be in deep thought, she felt different and couldn't put her finger quite on how she was feeling. Almost like she was walking beside a stranger. When she had seen the flowers at the cafe, deep down, she was somewhat disappointed to see it was Masaya- and now she felt a looming guilt on her conscience. Who did she hope it was? Pai? Ryou? She wasn't sure. Here Masaya was trying to mend things and rekindle the relationship, but she was not sure that's what she wanted at this point.

"Ichigo?"

"Oh- Sorry I just have a lot on my mind is all. I think that's a great idea, but... don't you usally take extra classes during the summer to make the fall semester easier and shorten the time it takes to graduate?"

Masaya held the door for her as they entered the cafe and made their way to a table on the garden patio. It had potted flowers hanging from vases hanging all around them and white rod iron chairs and tables. There were no people on the patio for lunch yet due to how early they were.

Once they were seated, he continued in the rather one sided conversation.

"It usually does shorten the time, but I really wanted to show you I'm reaching out and making an effort for our relationship. I haven't forgotten about us, and I don't want to lose you."

His words sunk into her like anchors, she still felt greatly out of sorts with a hint of guilt. The girl quietly picked up the menu from the table, He would surely notice her strange behavior. Ichigo kept her eyes on the menu in front of her, suddenly not feeling very hungry.

"I appreciate that... I do. I just don't want you to sacrifice any of your schooling for me."

Masaya seemed concerned now, she had been quiet and distant since the moment he saw her. He knew her well enough to know something was amiss. His dark eyes were locked on her face as she remained buried in the menu,

"I'm not sacrificing much, It's just a few classes. I can make up for them easily during the next school year. I just want to spend time with you to get back to what we were. I miss it."

His words tied her stomach into a knot and made her feel nervous but like she wanted to cry at the same time. His sugary voice chimed in again,

"Ichigo... Please look at me."

The mew glanced over the menu at his hurt expression, he spoke up sheepishly,

"What's the matter? I thought you'd be happier to see me."

"I am happy to see you. I'm just surprised and I don't know how to feel thinking you'd take a semester off for me. This is your future Masaya, and you can't give up any bit of it for me. Taking a semester off could seriously put you behind."

Masaya leaned forward in an attentive manner,

"I just want to spend time with you, all that matters is us getting back to what we were before I left."

Ichigo felt a different emotion creep up as she looked passed his now pleading expression,

"That's not all that matters, the future matters...I really don't know. It feels different now."

Masaya's eyes widened and he waved away the waitress who came to take their order. The girl hurried away, sensing the tense conversation taking place between the cafe patrons. The black haired young man piped up again anxiously,

"Different how? I love you and you love me... At least I thought you still did. What changed?"

Almost as soon as he said it, Ichigo felt her phone buzz in the back pocket of her jeans. The girl responded as she pulled the phone out to glance at the text,

"Of course I have love for you, but, I don't know how to describe it. It's weird to have so much distance and you just want to wave a magic wand to fix it all. We've been apart for over a year."

Her phone was lit up with a text from none other than Pai. A tingle tickled her heart at the fact he had messaged her and she had eagerly been waiting. Across the table, Masaya seemed somewhat frustrated and interrupted her from reading the text,

"Can you please put your phone away so we can talk? I'm really concerned... this is serious what you're telling me right now Ichigo."

The girl felt the sting of annoyance that he would comment on her phone, but she didn't want to give away that she was possibly interested in anyone else. She wasn't able to read the text from the alien with Masaya staring her down, She huffed,

"I know it's serious but I told you, It just feels weird to me now. I don't know how to describe it. I had deep feelings for you, I really never thought we'd be apart. Yet, you left anyway, and now you want to just drop in with hopes I'll sit around for the next two years and wait for you. It's not as easy as it sounds."

The words came out harsher than she intended and Masaya seemed to almost recoil in his chair. He swallowed hard and pressed his brow together,

"You feel different because I went to school? That makes no sense! We talked about it before I left! First you are upset at me wanting to come back to be with you and now you're upset that I left in the first place? What is the real issue you're having baby? So we can really talk this out. I only went to school to have a better future... for both of us really."

Ichigo leaned back in her chair, feeling as though she didn't want to continue the conversation. The catgirl twisted her mouth, feeling remorseful for putting Masaya in this situation,

"There is no 'one' issue I'm having. I was upset you left, but I understood why. But that distance really took a toll on me and you drifted away. It's not that it's all your fault or anything, I understand why you left, I do! The distance really has made me feel different is all."

Her hands crept up in an almost hug to her upper body as she awaited his response, it felt really like a second break up to her. Masaya took a shaky breath and ran hand through his hair,

"Did you meet someone else?"

The words were like ice water poured over her, she felt frozen. Her initial feelings of drifting apart had nothing to do with anyone new, but now, she had found interest in someone else. However, Masaya would certainly not believe that her feelings just trailed off- he would certainly blame her in that she found a new romantic prospect.

Ichigo calmly responded,

"That's not it. I told you, when you left, I felt abandoned. I know that wasn't your intention, but it's how I felt. You know this, we talked about it before when we talked about getting back together one day. Now that you're here, I can't just switch on my feelings like nothing has changed."

"But I'm here now, trying to make it happen, and you don't seem receptive to it at all."

His quick response caused her to look away from the table, out into the parking lot. It was like he heard her, but didn't actually listen to the words coming out of her mouth and their meaning. She shook her head, he wasn't understanding how she felt, and quite frankly, she didn't either. Nothing about this conversation was going well, and she wished she could just disappear.

The waitress popped over and interrupted their intense silence, offering drinks and to take their order. Ichigo glanced at her then back at Masaya, he looked distraught but like he was trying to keep it together. The mew shook her head and handed the menu to the young blonde waitress,

"I'm good thanks, I actually think I'm gonna go."

The catgirl stood up and began to walk out of the restaurant. Masaya apologized to the waitress and darted after the girl as she made her way out of the main doors. In the distance on the far side of the parking lot, a rumble of thunder echoed out lowly as she made her way towards their cars. Ichigo took note of the dark forming clouds in the far distance, she took a deep breath as Masaya then moved around quickly in front of her.

His hands gently reached out and touched Ichigo's shoulders as he pleaded with her,

"Please don't leave like this, I just want to talk to you! I just want to understand."

Her mind was racing by this point. The old feelings of abandonment from him when he left her, how close they had been at the final battle, the new exciting moments she had shared with Pai at the banquet, all were flooding her mind. Ichigo blinked a few times as she stared up at him,

"I told you how I feel! You aren't listening! You expect me to just dive into your arms like you never left and we never separated! I don't know what else I can say. I wasn't expecting to be in this situation. I didn't know I would feel different like this."

Masaya was visibly upset and he looked pained,

"After everything we went through?"

"Yes after everything we went though! I didn't say I felt good about it all. I'm confused, I need time to think about things and process this. You drop back in to be with me for what? Two months? Then you'll go back and I'll be hurt and alone all over again until you graduate. You still have two years to go at least and then what? Where would you go or end up then? Will I have to uproot my life and move wherever you go? I don't think I can do that. I have too many questions and I'm too confused to even sort through how I feel about all of it."

Her long winded and heated response earned silence from the young tan male. Masaya nodded slowly and swallowed hard, it was soul crushing. The girl who was his high school sweetheart and first love was tearing apart his heartstrings. He fought his own urge to cry as the two stared at one another. Ichigo didn't seem tearful now, she seemed frustrated and almost angry with him.

Masaya grimaced and wrung his hands in front of himself,

"I'm sorry I made you feel this way..."

He trailed off, staring into her piercing brown eyes. Ichigo breathed slowly and tried to calm herself down,

"I'll catch up with you later, okay? I need some time to process all of this."

...

A man with a long brown ponytail wiped down tables in the main dining area of the cafe. He hummed to himself in the dim lighting. The cafe had just closed and a storm had blown into the area. Heavy rain poured outside- and the double entry doors creaked open. Keiichiro turned and smiled, before he could advise of the closed status of the cafe, he observed two familiar aliens walk inside in wet coats.

Kish grinned at the chef,

"We're back!"

Pai stood silently behind Kish and looked around as Keiichiro responded,

"Welcome. But I'm afraid we just closed, the girls aren't here."

Kish smirked and glanced over to Pai,

"You hear that? Guess we'll have to go find them!"

"You have a cell phone, why not just call Retasu?"

Pai's cold response didn't change Kish's upbeat attitude,

"Because it's always more fun to drop in on them! You should go find Ichigo."

The taller alien felt a hint of annoyance at Kish's abrupt comment in front of Keiichiro. The brown haired chef felt nervous and unsure of what to say. He knew Ichigo had left with Masaya, and now he felt smashed between a rock and a hard place. Pai obviously came here to visit her, and it was the first time he had ever seen the alien show romantic interest in anyone.

If he said something to Pai, it could tarnish Ichigo and Pai's budding relationship. However, Ichigo could be making amends with Masaya as they stood here, it was a tough call.

Keiichiro bit his tongue, it wasn't his place to meddle in Ichigo's romantic life. He couldn't say anything,

"Yeah Retasu is off today and Ichigo left early."

...

The same violet haired alien stood silently, rain pouring loudly around him. It wasn't often he felt strong urges or emotions, but here he was, following up on a pressing urge. The rain slid down off of his black raincoat, his head was hidden with a dark hood.

Across the street was the warm glow from the windows of Ichigo's townhome. She had begun to live alone after the final battle, and he kept tabs on the whereabouts for each member of the team for emergency situations. Inside, he saw the red head dart passed the window a few times on the phone, she seemed in a fuss over something.

He was hesitating.

His loose tendrils of thought were interrupted by a car pulling up out front. It came to a halt and a young man stepped out of the drivers seat, alone.

The tanned tone of his flesh and a glimpse of his face gave away his identity- Masaya Aoyama. The alien felt a sharp grip of shock wrap his insides upon sight of him. He didn't move or even blink as he watched the black haired male rush up to the door with something in hand. It felt like an out of body experience, like he wasn't really seeing him here.

All the thoughts of Masaya had been so far gone from his mind since Ichigo hadn't spoken of him in so long. He had assumed they were no longer together, and now he felt stupid. It wasn't often he felt stupid either, and this was unusually gut wrenching. The feelings were difficult to process and foreign to him; he didn't like it.

Masaya banged on the door, and Pai felt his stomach lurching harder and harder. It felt like he was losing an opportunity that he didn't know he had. He couldn't bear to stay to watch as the door opened to reveal the beautiful girl he had come to visit. Pai teleported as soon as he saw her face- he knew his presence was certainly unwelcome now.


End file.
